Man vs Beast
by Gwynne
Summary: With Voldemort gone and Harry back at the only place he ever thought of as 'home', life is finally starting to calm down. That is, until a potion goes wrong and he finds himself with the psyche of a beast...a beast that wants to claim Hermione for its own. Can Harry learn to control it in time? Lemons. HPxHG (Little OoC)
1. Chapter 1

Ok guys here is the skinny… this whoooole story is based on a kooky dream I had, but I feel like the idea has some merit, so I fixed a few strange pieces and wrote it down for you! Lol. So here it goes!

INTRODUCTION:

After his seven year experience at Hogwarts, not all of which included Dumbledore's death, and Voldemort's return rise to power and final fall; everybody slowly drifted their separate ways but still kept in touch constantly. Ron wandered off to work with his father at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione ran her own small business selling minor charms and potions to muggles as a front, and much more developed ones to the wizarding community, and Harry had tried his luck as an Auror.

Being an Auror was great, something Harry had been born to do but he had tired of it after a few years. Voldemort was gone and though his legacy would always live on and there would surely be more dark wizards to come, Harry was done struggling with evil and pain for the time being. So he went back to the only place he had ever found peace in his life: Hogwarts. There he was surrounded by most of the old teachers he loved (though many had chosen to leave at the end of the year following Dumbledore's death), and even a few of his old friends from school, including Neville who had taken up Professor Sprout's Herbology class after the she had left.

But like fate, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class was still without a steady teacher, and Harry sought the position readily, thinking that now he could both be in the place he loved and help the world fight the dark arts that had plagued him all his life. McGonagall, the headmaster since Dumbledore's passing, accepted him into the position with a smile and the condition that he promised not to cause as much trouble or excitement this time around. He had laughed and agreed and been given a room to stay in and an attached office to work in when not teaching. He was home…

CHAPTER ONE:

Harry grinned as he slipped a plain black dress robe over his head, it was great being back at Hogwarts; he had forgotten just how amazing it could be to dress just like everyone else and belong to a family. He looked up into his mirror and grinned, it was like he had been thrown back in time to five years ago. He could almost seen Ron grinning over his shoulder and eating some of his sweets. He would have to write him and Hermione both and tell them about his new occupation, perhaps he could even talk them into coming to visit.

At that moment he remembered another one of his friends from school, and smiled broadly. Hagrid had no idea that he had been hired on at Hogwarts! He ran a hand through his messy hair and slipped out of his room, through the old hallways, and along his old trail to Hagrid's small house.

Fang barked and ran to greet him but before Harry could lean down to pet the monster dog the beast had jumped up and tackled Harry to the ground. He couldn't help but laugh as the huge dog wagged its tail and licked his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Fang hasn't gotten this excited in a long time. He usually never jumps-" Hagrid stopped talking and stared when Harry peaked around the giant dog's chest to grin up at his old friend.

"HARRY! IS THAT YOU! NO WONDER FANG WAS SO LIVELY! HE HASN'T MOVED THAT FAST IN YEARS!" Hagrid laughed loudly as he pushed the dog off of Harry and lifted him off the ground like he hadn't grown at all.

Huge arms wrapped around him and pulled him up at against a huge chest, a familiar sensation of being squeezed to the point of not breathing made him cough out a laugh, "I missed you too Hagrid but now I just miss breathing."

Hagrid guffawed and let go of the boy, because that's exactly what Harry was. Harry had grown taller, added muscle, and he no longer looked like a gangly teenager but he would always be a boy to Hagrid; a small boy that had suffered too much and deserved to be protected and loved. "You've gotten big Harry but you're still just a pup." He ruffled Harry's hair with a grin.

"Oh, really? Don't you think this will be weird then?" Harry asked grinning.

"What?" Hagrid asked confused.

"The fact that I'll be teaching here this year as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry laughed and watched a shocked expression come over Hagrid's face.

"You're here to teach…? Will you be here every day? And you will eat dinner in the hall every night with me?" Hagrid asked with his eyes widened in both excitement and disbelief.

Harry laughed, "Well I don't know about every day, I will have to take a holiday now and then…but yes to the rest."

Hagrid caught him up in another crushing hug, "That's great Harry! You will sit next to me at the head table? And come visit me often?"

Hagrid must have been lonely after they had all left… Harry couldn't recall a time when he had ever heard of any other students going to visit the half giant. A twinge of guilt made his heart hurt, Dumbledore had really been Hagrid's only friend outside the three adventurous students. Harry nodded softly, something else he hadn't thought of, now he would be eating with the teachers in front of the hall. "Yes, I'll sit by you every day and we can laugh at the student's reactions and tell old stories. I will visit you and Fang every chance I get."

Hagrid laughed loudly and brushed a tear off his cheek, "I'm so happy Harry! It's going to be great."

Harry smiled at the intimidating giant who had always had a bit of a penchant for getting emotional about the things he cared for, "Yes, it will. Though I have to go for now, I need to get some sort of a lesson made for class tomorrow…I really should have gotten here earlier…"

Hagrid laughed, "You don't need to make a lesson, just decide what you want to talk about and wing it!"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "McGonagall made it clear that she would be watching me. You know, I think she still thinks that I'll be running around stirring up trouble."

"You mean you won't be?" Hagrid managed to look surprised.

Harry laughed and gave one of Fang's ears a tug, "Perhaps…"

He could still hear Hagrid laughing as he opened the door and slipped back into the halls of Hogwarts, where he starting preparing for the introduction dinner for the first years.

He made sure to get to the Great Hall early, remembering how amazed he had been upon walking through those huge doors for the first time. Silently, he prayed that this new batch of students would find Hogwarts to be just a magical place as he had, no pun intended, and love it like their home. He also hoped that their time here would be much safer and calmer than his time had been, though he wouldn't trade any of his memories of this place for anything.

The sky looked beautiful tonight, he thought as he slowed his movements to study the ceiling. It had enough cloud milling about to shine in the light of the moon, with black centers and silver edges, but not so cloudy as to hide all the stars above them. He smiled at it all and forced himself to walk up to the teachers table instead of sitting down at the Gryffindor benches to stare up in appreciation.

Slowly all the teachers gathered and seated themselves, the older students started filing in and sitting down to wait for the first year's boats to arrive. The noise level rose but Harry found that he had missed even this, the constant humming of a room full of talking people.

Finally the moment had come and Harry found himself almost as excited and nervous as he had been during his first year ceremony. They were already lined up neatly and the sorting hat and chair were in place in the front of the room, just below McGonagall's podium.

"If you will come forward as I call each of your names, we can begin sorting you all into your respective houses. After the sorting hat tells you which house you belong to, you may go over to the benches and be seated until the ceremony is finished, at which point you may feast to your hearts content," McGonagall said in a cheery tone.

One by one the students were called up and applauded for as they joined their houses. Harry couldn't help but grin every time a new Gryffindor was made and the wide eyed student under the hat joined the boisterous table.

Once all the sorting had been done and every new student had been seated, McGonagall moved forward to address the students once more.

"Welcome and welcome back students, new and old, to Hogwarts, I am Headmaster McGonagall. The staff and I are pleased to see so many new smiling faces in our home. I have high hopes that you will all feel as comfortable and at ease here as you would your own home as well. Now if I may, I'll quickly introduce the instructors and then we may 'tuck in' as a very spirited old wizard once said." Her smile never faltered, even at the mention of Dumbledore. Harry felt his chest constrict a bit just at hearing the reference.

She started on the opposite end of the table from them and Harry was thankful, he didn't relish the idea of being introduced and standing before the entire student body. But it was inevitable and he swallowed the lump in his throat as she announced Hagrid and he stood up, waved, and sat back down next to Harry.

"Our latest edition to our faculty, Mr. Harry Potter, is teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and will also be functioning as the Head of the Gryffindor house," she said and smiled at him.

Harry stood, and gaped at her for a second, too shocked at her little announcement to even notice the murmurs of the students start up. Why the hell hadn't she told him this before now!

He sat back down with a humph as Hagrid leaned in to whisper to him and McGonagall introduced Neville as the professor of Herbology.

"Harry! Why didn't you tell me? That is great news!" Hagrid whispered excitedly.

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his constantly disarrayed hair, "More like, why didn't she tell me?"

Hagrid's eyes widened further, a feat that Harry had previously thought impossible, and he sat back silently to listen to the rest of McGonagall's speech.

Harry grumbled at him, and the noise level in the room picked up as all the students started eating and chattering away at one another. He was going glare at his Headmaster whenever she decided to glance at him.

After dinner, while the clouds occupying the ceiling of the room were slowly moving to cover up the moon, Harry worked his way through the throng until he ran into McGonagall, "Why didn't you tell me ahead of time?" he asked as he started walking beside her.

She smiled at him, "It was a spur of the moment decision. Our previous head of the Gryffindor house had resigned and I had yet to decide whom to hire on in his stead. Just before dinner I decided that you would be the most appropriate person for the job."

"Why?" he asked softly, pausing in front of the door to her chambers.

"Your spirit has always been that of a Gryffindor, Harry. That position was meant to be filled by you, as I believe the Headmaster's will be also one day." She looked at him and for a second her usual stern expression melted and she let him see the faith she had for him reflected in her eyes. She gave him a soft smile, "You were born to lead and with leading comes responsibility. Responsibility that most people cannot handle but that I think you would be unsatisfied without. I hold this place temporarily, until the one who belongs here reaches it. One such as you Harry, who is strong, and confident, and wise; one who is reasonable when he doesn't want to be, one feels the pains of those he is responsible for even when it is not asked of him."

Harry stared at her, unable to take in all that she had said and laid before him.

"Albus trained you for a lot more than just defeating Voldemort, Harry. He tended to think and plan for things far into the future, if you recall," she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and turned to her door. "Rosemary," she told it and the hidden doors opened wide. "These are things to think calmly on Potter, not to agonize over." Her stern expression was back in place, "Sleep well."

He left her chamber doors in a daze, unsure of how he felt about all this. Though it had shocked him, his new position as head of the Gryffindor house pleased him; but this idea of Headmaster was mind blowing. It almost felt like he was trying to replace Dumbledore, and that was an idea that made want to pack up his bags and leave right away. He sighed as he walked into his room and slowly took of his robes before climbing into bed.

The next day Harry slipped into his classroom early and started to move some of the furniture around. He ended up with the desks and benches all arranged in a wide horse shoe shape at the back of the class with a large empty space in the center of the 'u' and across the front of the room. His desk he shoved diagonally into one of the front corners of the room, so he would sit with his back directly in the corner, when and if he ever sat down. He nodded and scribbled his name on the board about the same time the first students started filing in.

The first few sat down in their desks and stared at him with an open mouth, others started whispering, and one or two even sent him a covert glare.

He leaned against his desk and smiled as they all gradually got quiet and gave him their attention, "I don't really like making people introduce themselves and do the embarrassing icebreaker thing. It always made me uncomfortable when I was in school. So let me just introduce myself and you guys can catch me after class or something if you want to get to know me or vice versa, I'll learn all your names eventually it will just take a little longer." He smiled at the waiting students, "My name is Harry Potter and I will be teaching your Defense against the Dark Arts class this year."

Several whispers started up and a hand flew in the air.

He nodded and boy smiled, "Are you the real Harry Potter? The one that stopped Voldemort?"

Harry smiled, no one would have even considered saying that name five years ago and now even the children were doing it. "I had a lot of help, but yes, I'm that Harry Potter." He lifted his hair off his forehead to flash them his scar.

Several girls giggled and started to whisper again.

"Why are you here? Are you really going to be teaching us?" another boy spoke up.

"Yeah, I loved this class back when I was going to Hogwarts, though the teachers were usually crazy, it was always interesting. Some of the things they taught me I'll share with you, the other stuff I had to find out on my own," He smiled at them all again.

Several whispers but most of them were grinning now, "Are we going to learn how to defeat dark lords like you did?" A boy smiled broadly at him.

Harry laughed, "I think we will start small, like dark creatures and minions. Then we will work up to dementors and then things like dark wizards. I spoke to McGonagall this morning and I believe I will be teaching this course as an intro sort of thing and then start a more advanced course for those who wish to become Auror's and such later."

More than one of them nodded eagerly.

He smiled, "But the second class will be a bit harder to get into. McGonagall suggested only students passing this class with an A be able to take it but I think I'll just interview the students beforehand. That way if you're interested but not the best at studying and taking tests then you will still be able to move forward."

A girl raised her hand and he nodded at her to speak, "What are the tests going to be like in this class?"

Harry paused for a moment, since he hadn't actually thought that part through yet. He smiled, "The class it going to be pretty hands on. So the tests will be too. If you can show me that you have mastered the technique we are working on, or that you are trying your hardest to, I'll consider it an A."

The girl looked disgruntled. "Can we have the option of a written test? And some sort of a review so we know what to study?" Several students sent her a glare.

Harry smiled; she made him think of Hermione A LOT. "This class is going to be easy…?" He waited for a name.

"Emily." She supplied.

"Ok, this class is going to be easy Emily, just pay attention, make and effort, and show me that you actually give a damn and I'll pass you. I don't mind people laughing or having fun, I imagine I'll be doing it too. As long as things don't get out of hand we are pretty much cleared to learn however I see fit," He smiled at her.

Several murmured 'yes's drifted up from the crowd.

"But if you want a list of readings that I think will be helpful and would be more comfortable with a written test, then I will provide them to those of you that want them." He smiled. "This really is a free for all kind of thing… I've never taught before. I plan on telling stories and trying to help you guys incorporate these lessons into your real life. Back when I was in school this class was a joke. We didn't learn enough to actually help us with what was going on around us. My thoughts are that though the times of Voldemort are passed, evil never truly dies and someday a new dark lord will step into his shoes. You are just kids right now but you won't always be; the earlier you learn these lessons the better off you will be. Sometimes a leader comes in the smallest and most awkward of packages. I hadn't even had my first kiss yet when I started my battle with Voldemort here at Hogwarts. SO…if you guys can stop the next Voldemort early…perhaps we can save the world a whole lot of trouble." He took a deep breath and looked around at the now solemn faces.

"We aren't you. We can't save the world," one of them said.

Harry shook his head. "That's exactly what the dark powers will think and that's where they will be wrong. I'm not asking you to go out and find trouble, or jump into a bad situation when there is an adult present that could handle it. Not all of you are cut out to fight for others; we all have strengths in different areas. I'm just asking you to see your potential, be confident, and see the power that can come from working together. It sounds cheesy but I would have lost the battle and died a long time ago if I hadn't had my friends and family here at Hogwarts."

Silence fell on them, some of them looked eager to learn, some were more hesitant, but he felt that he had said what needed to be said and didn't regret any of it.

"Well said Harry," a voice said from the doorway and Harry looked up and saw none other than Ron standing in the doorway.

Harry grinned, "Of course, some friends just got me into more trouble than they helped me get out of."

Ron laughed and walked into the class to give Harry a hug, "You guys should stop him next time he starts ranting, your class was supposed to end five minutes ago."

Chairs scooted and people smiled and started to shuffle out, Harry nodded at each of them and one or two the girls blushed and giggled at him. What was he supposed to do with that? He'd never really had girls giggle over him…and now he had some fifteen year olds doing it.

"Looks like you got some new fans," Ron smiled as the girls finally made it out door.

Harry smiled, "I'm sure they will get over it. HOW DID YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME?" He hugged his friend again and squeezed him.

Ron wheezed, "Get your muscles off me if you want me to talk! I can't breathe!"

Harry laughed and let him go, then started throwing a few of his notes into his bag, along with a book or two and the orange he had snagged from breakfast and forgotten to eat, "Tell me! How'd you know I was here? I was going to write you and Hermione tonight."

"Funny thing. Ginny seems to be quite taken with Neville, so they have been exchanging letters, and he mentioned you in one that he sent a few days ago. And since I'm on a bit of a vacation, I decided to come visit you," Ron grinned and started to walk with Harry out of the room.

"Wait, GINNY is taken with NEVILLE?" Harry laughed, he and Ginny had broken up before he had finally finished his war with Voldemort and they still talked, but he had long ago lost the spark he had felt with her.

"Yeah, it was bloody weird; he was at the ministry one day and she had brought me and dad lunch, and when they ran into each other he got all flustered. I think she likes making him uncomfortable. So she flirted up a storm and he blushed, and me and dad ate our lunch and watched the show." Ron smiled, "And they are still writing so I assume it's all going well."

Harry laughed, "That's crazy! Now why are you on vacation? The year just started!"

Ron smiled sheepishly, "Well I accidentally set my office on fire, so my boss told me that I could go home and he would send for me when they got it fixed…"

Harry laughed harder, "He was upset that you set your office on fire? How rude of him!"

Ron shrugged and took Harry's bag to pilfer through it to find the orange, "I think he was more upset about the fact that the fire alarm went off and it started raining inside _all _the offices… It took twenty minutes before someone figured out the sprinkler spell to turn it off."

Harry cackled, "I missed you Ron."

Ron smiled, and started to peel the orange. "Well of course you did."

"Have you heard from 'Mione lately?" Ron asked, "She told me she had agreed to go on a date with some muggle last week."

Harry ignored the twinge of irritation that tended to rise anytime he pictured Hermione with another guy. He really needed to get over this crush he'd been carrying around with him for so many years, but things had only gotten worse when he had seen her almost half a year ago for Christmas. She had been beautiful, her softly curled hair fell just past her shoulders and over the tight maroon sweater she had been wearing; the dainty silver necklace he had given her a few years ago had been draped perfectly around her neck. But it wasn't until he had watched her put aside her calm demeanor to crawl on the floor and play with one of the many Weasley toddlers that he had realized she was all grown up, a woman ready to love and laugh and have babies of her own. She deserved a better and more normal life than anything he could give her; her interest in muggles proved that.

Ron waved a hand in front of his face, "Pay attention Harry! Has she written to you about this git Stuart?"

Stuart. Harry sighed. "No she hasn't but then she's probably been busy. I'm sure I'll get an owl from her soon, I tend to get one about once a week."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Why you don't just CALL each other or use the floo network I'll never know. Writing takes so long. Anyway, she told me that he was Pediatrician and 'soooo great with kids'. It was bloody disgusting."

Harry laughed at his friend and decided to shift the conversation to a safer topic, "So I take it you haven't found a pretty little witch to add to the Weasley ranks yet?"

"Oh no!" Ron gasped, "What with everyone else getting married and having their own kiddies running around, I think I have seen quite enough of the family life. Though there is a pretty little secretary working at the ministry that I keep running into."

Harry smiled, "Have you actually talked to her?"

Ron glared at him, "Of course I have! I bumped into her last week and said I was sorry…"

Harry laughed harder, it was great having Ron back; he missed the days when they had lived together. Ron had never run out of…helpful things to say. "I'm sure she is just moments away from falling into your arms, Ron."

Ron snorted, "I'm not you, Harry."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "I honestly have no idea what you are talking about."

Ron was eating the orange now, his words muffled around it, "Even when we were in school and everyone thought you were weird, the girls liked you." He sent Harry a mock glare and put another piece of the orange into his mouth, "It must be the scar. Chicks like scars."

Harry laughed, "Ron, you talked to just as many if not more girls as I did and I highly doubt any girls found the huge scar on my forehead attractive."

"I did; but it was usually because they were talking to me about you. Especially the last year," he polished off the rest of the orange. "It was like, you completely forgot girls existed with all the battles going on, and they seemed to be more and more into you."

He had never known that. Honestly, he could have sworn that only three girls in the school actually liked to talk to him, four if you counted Luna, and only one of them would actually date him at length. He had always thought that none of others at the school were interested. "Why didn't you tell me this then?"

Ron shrugged, "You needed to focus on Voldemort not snogging. Let's go to the dining hall, I'm hungry."

Harry couldn't help but laugh while he followed Ron down the same old hallways to the same dining hall.

Some food was always on the table there, snacks between meals for the students, and Ron eagerly sat down in their old spot at the Gryffindor table. Harry did the same, feeling much more at ease than he did when he was forced to sit at the head table with the other teachers…where they could see all the students and vice versa. The table drew his gaze and Harry could almost see Dumbledore standing there making his announcements, sitting in the headmasters chair, smiling down at all of his students…it made his heart ache. He missed the old headmaster dearly; he would have done anything to keep him alive…

"Oi, didn't you hear me? I said those two girls are staring at you," Ron said and elbowed his friend.

Harry looked up and met the gaze of two the girls from his class as they walked closer and sat down across the table from them. They both smiled and blushed prettily. Harry gave them the best version a teacher smile that he could muster.

"Professor Potter, we are in your class…" one of them started.

He nodded and gave them a smile, "Yes, I remember, and it's just Harry."

The one with the darker hair wasn't blushing anymore, or giggling, she was just smiling at him confidently and Harry recognized the signs of more mature girl's advance. He cleared his throat to say something but she spoke first, "My name is Clare and this is Bridget."

He nodded at them both and the confident girl smiled, "So…do you always sit with the students?"

Harry scratched his head and gave them a grin, "This is actually only the second time I have eaten in here since I became a teacher and really I just followed Ron."

"Feels right," Ron added around his sandwich.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, it does. But I think I'll have to sit at the teachers table during formal meals. McGonagall isn't going to let me be quite the rule breaker I once was."

Clare laughed softy; was it just him or did her eyes twinkle just a bit more when he had made the rule breaker comment? Harry sighed; he was so screwed. How does a teacher gently tell a student to back off he's not interested? Perhaps after he treated them just like everyone else for a while, they would get the idea?

"I've heard stories about those days," she said before taking a sip of her drink.

Bridget nodded, "Yeah, it's like a tradition here, every year the seventh year students tell the rest of us some of the best stories. It's great."

He smiled, "How do they do that, the only time you guys are ever all in the same place is during meal times."

Clare smiled back, eyes twinkling, "The first Friday night of every month we all sneak out into the Great Hall and the prefects watch the halls for teachers. It usually lasts a couple hours. Sometimes you hear the same stories over and over but I don't mind. I've enjoyed listening to it these past years and can't wait for this Friday to get here so we can do the telling."

Harry nodded and started doing the math, she was a seventh year, so about 17 or 18 years old… he was twenty three, had been an Auror for five years… she had been here when he was… "You were a first year when we were sixth years. That was a bad time to be young…and at Hogwarts."

Ron had stopped eating now; he was listening to it all silently. Harry knew that sixth year and the year that should have been their seventh year at Hogwarts, were as hard for Ron as they had been for him.

She smiled softly, "I met you once, you probably don't remember, it was after Gryffindor had won the Quidditch championship. You signed some autographs for a bunch of girls afterward…I was one of them."

Harry remembered that amazing time, it had been one of the last times he had truly been happy. It wasn't long after that game that the hunt for the Horcrux had started, and Dumbledore had died… He shook his head a bit, trying to clear his heavy thoughts. He remembered giving his autograph to a pile of girls; it had been only moments after his first kiss with Ginny. He tried but couldn't remember any of the smiling girls' faces.

"I remember signing the papers but not any of the faces," he gave her a soft smile, "Sorry."

"Oh, don't be, I was living the dream that day," she gave him her first genuine laugh of their conversation.

Harry smiled, "Who wasn't?"

Ron was smiling now, looking back to that single amazing day, "I miss Quidditch."

Harry nodded, "I do too, I bet we can round up a bunch of guys to play it with us this Christmas, you will have to make sure to invite ALL of your family." Harry laughed at Ron's horrified face.

"Why can't you play it here?" Bridget asked.

Harry shrugged, "Seems unfair, grown men beating up kids." Ron laughed and started to happily eat his second sandwich.

Clare laughed but Bridget didn't give up, "I bet our team would kill to have you coach, for a day, or even for the whole season."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "That's the captain's job."

Bridget giggled, "Clare is dating the captain; I bet she could get him to agree."

Harry watched Clare blush and it made him grin that she was actually embarrassed at him knowing she was dating someone, "Sorry Bridget but then the other teams would call foul play. It wouldn't be very…mature of me, to do that."

Bridget sighed but nodded at him, "I guess you are right."

Harry nodded and glanced at Ron, "Are you full yet? I want to visit Hagrid before you head back to my room and I have to meet my second class. I assume you are staying the night?"

Ron nodded, "Of course I am, and yeah, I'm done for now."

Harry stood up and watched Ron do the same while dusting the crumbs off his shirt. Harry nodded towards the girls, "I'll see you both in class."

They nodded and he led his friend off towards Hagrid's house on the edge of the forest.

"Five years isn't a terrible age difference…" Ron said while eyeing his friend, "I wouldn't fault you for it."

Harry smiled, "I think everyone else would. Shame on you Ron, I saw the way you were eyeing Bridget. We aren't 18 anymore, time to grow up friend."

Ron grumbled and frowned as they finished the rest of their walk.

Hours later, Ron had eaten again at Hagrid's, they separated and Harry headed for his second class. He gave them the same spiel about the class and had finished a bit early, leaving him time to ask them all for suggestions.

After class he went back to his room to find Ron, only to find a note instead.

_Ginny called, asked me to go hang out with Neville (fun). Apparently we are supposed to bond and share fond memories of her. I'll see you at dinner._

Harry smiled and decided that he would write Hermione in the small space of time he had left until time for the evening meal. As he got out his paper, ink, and quill, he wondered over what he should say. As always, as soon as the ink hit the parchment his mind started pouring out the words to her.

_Dear Hermione, _

_ You will never guess what I have done! And before you panic, as you are prone to do, let me tell it's a good thing, though not quite as exciting as going on a date with Stuart (Ron told me- I think he is quiet put out that your attentions have been divided again). Anyway, you knew I was getting tired of my old profession, I think you knew before I did, but I have solved the problem now. _

_ I have returned to Hogwarts, Hermione, and with a little harassing gotten McGonagall to hire me on as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! It's wonderful being back, wearing the old colors, walking the old halls, eating the same food. I'm expected to eat at the head table now with the teachers but I'm not sure I want to. Every time I look up there all I see is Dumbledore. It is the only thing I don't like about being here again, other than that you aren't here with me and Ron. _

_ Did I mention that Ron is visiting? Apparently Ginny and Neville have been corresponding, and Neville (who is teaching the Herbology class-no surprise there) told her and she then told Ron, that I was teaching here now. Anyway, he was given a leave from work (after he tired to burn the building down) and came to see me. It's great seeing him but it makes me miss you more._

_ Speaking of missing people, Hagrid was so happy to see me that it hurt, both literally and emotionally. I hadn't realized that the three of us and Dumbledore had been his best and closest friends. I feel guilty for having left him here alone, though I know it had to be done, I just feel like I should have come back sooner for him._

_ Anyway, that is all the latest news. Write soon, _

_ Harry _

With his letter written and sealed in its envelope, Harry gave it to Hedwig and went to the Great hall to find Ron.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron waved at Harry as he walked in the door of the hall. Harry raised an eyebrow at seeing his friend sitting at the head table but didn't say a word. He walked down the aisles between the students' tables and up on the dais in front of them. Students were slowly filing in and joining those already here, along with the teachers.

"How did you manage to get a seat up here?" Harry whispered as he sat down between Ron and Hagrid, giving a little wave to Neville on Ron's other side.

"I'll have you know I'm an honored guest," Ron said regally and loudly, only to be shushed by a different teacher as the students started coming in.

HERMIONE'S POV:

"Well, I guess this is goodnight," Stuart said with a smile.

Hermione smiled back, "It is."

His smiled widened at her, "So, did you actually enjoy or our date, or are you still convinced that it just wouldn't work out?"

She blushed a bit, perhaps she was too straightforward at times, "I reserve the right to make my judgment at a later date." She smiled up at him, "I enjoyed it Stuart; thank you for dinner."

He laughed, "I'm glad you had fun, does that mean I'll see you again?"

She nodded, "I think so." He started to say something else but she knew what he wanted, and she gave it to him. Holding onto his coat for support, she stretched up to place a soft kiss on his lips. It wasn't a lot but it was all she was willing to give at the moment. "Goodnight Stuart," she said against his lips and then stepped away from him and opened the door to her house.

He grinned, "Goodnight Ms. Granger."

She shut the door and was ashamed to admit that she was glad the date was over. Yes, he had been a complete gentlemen; he was funny and caring and capable of actually listening to woman when she spoke. And yes, the food and setting had been wonderful. So why did she still have that empty feeling inside, as if she were that cup that was only half full that everyone kept whispering about.

She locked the door and took off the low high heels she had worn; they were only two and a half inches tall but her feet ached terribly. How women pranced about in heels four inches and higher she had no idea. Clearly she wasn't cut out to be a woman.

She sighed and walked into the kitchen in her stocking covered feet, enjoying the cool sliding feeling that always came from wearing hose on linoleum. Of course, socks worked well too. She smiled to herself as she got down a glass from the cupboard, and her bottle of wine from the fridge. After pouring herself a glass she skated slowly to her office/library.

It was one of the largest rooms in the house and two of the four walls were nothing but bookshelves, the third that harbored the door also had a few. The last and far wall held the window under which she had placed a desk, so that she could look out into her yard whenever here eyes needed a break from staring at the pages she so loved to immerse herself in. She also had a small couch next to her desk where she could curl up and get more comfortable if she were reading for a long period of time…which she usually was.

She sat down at the desk, tucking her feet underneath her in the chair and making the hem of her thigh length dress ride up higher. She tugged it back down and took a sip of wine before picking up the book she had been studying earlier that day.

A tap on the window in front of her made her jump and almost knock over the wineglass but she recovered quickly when she saw that it was only Hedwig the Second, who was actually a male. She moved the wineglass and leaned forward so that she could open the window and let the snowy white owl hop in and onto her desk.

"How are you tonight, handsome?" she cooed at the bird as she took Harry's letter from it. The owl hooted softly and she started stroking its head as began reading the letter.

Minutes later she was completely soaked with shock and mixed feelings. Harry had returned from the foreign countries had been fighting in and decided to stay…at Hogwarts no less. She petted the bird while her mind tried to decide how she should feel. She was happy, perhaps more excited than she should be, that her old friend was home. It had been a little less than six months since the last time she had seen him, at the Weasley's Christmas party, and he had been…different then. Ever since they had parted after Voldemort's demise, they had all only gathered once or twice a year. She and Ron visited each other about once a month but Harry had never been able to actually come home and stay put for more than a day or so, which he usually spent sleeping. It had been hard not seeing him but it had been even harder seeing him when she did. Each year she watched him change, leaving more and more of the somewhat awkward and gangly teenager behind and becoming a strong and confident man.

It had bothered her how good he had looked last Christmas. He had been tall and put on a lot of muscle weight since the Christmas before; his skin was even slightly tanner. He had given her a beautiful silver ring with a green gem intertwined in the silver vines across the top of it. He'd had someone put a very powerful charm on the ring, he'd said, which would guide the wearer to their hearts desire. He had smilingly told her she could now walk into an unexplored library and instantly know exactly where to find the book she needed, even if she didn't know the title. She had put it on, smiled at how pretty it looked on her hand and looked up at him…and been struck in the chest by how beautiful he was. She stared at him speechless for a second before asking if he was pulling a prank on her. He had looked at her with genuine confusion and asked what was wrong, then he had tried to take the ring, to put it on his own finger, and she had embarrassed them both in her haste to keep it away from him and on her finger. That whole evening she had toyed with it, taking it on and off her finger, watching his face to try and see what changed when it was on. She hadn't figured it out. He had looked the exact same, but when the ring was on it was like some string tied them together and constantly tried to pull her towards him. She had cared deeply for him before the ring, now her heart ached for him because she could no longer pretend she only thought of him as an attractive and loving friend. It is very hard to argue with magical evidence of just exactly your heart wants…

She had made sure not to touch him the rest of that night, though she thanked him profusely and smiled and laughed like always. She was afraid to touch him; afraid of how it would feel and afraid of what it might make him feel. Kids ran everywhere through the house that night, the whole Weasley brood was there, and she had felt a disturbing pull to each of them also, though theirs was just a gentle tug compared to the dragging sensation of Harry. This wasn't a terrible surprise though…she had always acknowledged that she'd like to have a couple of children when the time was right.

He had been right though; the damn thing always led her to the right book. She wore it every day and thought about him just as much. Since that fateful Christmas, she had worn it on each of her dates and felt absolutely nothing pull her towards the men in her company. Some days that pissed her off…other days it made her cry. Ron knew nothing of the ring's power but he knew about a lot of the dates she went on, and it just figures he would go tattle to Harry as soon as he was in town. She grumbled to herself, seriously hoping that Harry wouldn't think to connect the two together.

She pulled out a piece of parchment and dipped her quill into a small bottle of ink.

_ Harry! _

_ I'm so happy you are back! And at Hogwarts too! It's amazing that you have already found where you belong. Hogwarts was the only place you found peace when you were a kid (which is vaguely odd since we were always up to our ears in trouble there), it just makes sense that it would do the same for you now. You're home Harry and that Defense Against the Dark Arts class was made for you. So much so that you even taught it while we were actually attending school. Fate doesn't get much clearer than that._

_ The Neville and Ginny thing is strange but he was always a charming boy, so I'm sure it will work out. He can smooth out all Ginny's rough areas while she teaches him to relax and have fun. A mutually beneficial relationship really, I'm surprised I didn't think of it before._

_ I'm glad Ron is visiting you; you both probably needed the male bonding time. While you two are doing the boy thing can you make sure to punch him for me? I seriously doubt that he had nothing but nice things to say about Stuart. Lucky for him Stuart won't be a permanent figure in my life or I would be terribly upset with him. _

_ Hug Hagrid for me and give him my love. Though I have kept up correspondence with him I'm sure that he was indeed lonely before you returned. I'll do my best to visit you both soon._

_ Good luck Professor Potter,_

_Hermione _

She read and reread the letter. Searching for hints in her words that conveyed just how badly she wanted to see him. He would never know how bad his absence all these years had hurt her, or how desperately she wanted to run to him now.

HARRY'S POV:

Harry read the paper as he ate breakfast, scanning the articles for any sign of dark wizardry, as he had for years. All in all, things looked well. The wizarding world was still turning.

Ron shoveled his food away while telling Harry how Ginny had decided it would be clever to give him a pet rat on his latest birthday.

Poor Ron, he was pretty much ruined in the way of pet rats. Harry hid his smile and quickly finished eating, eager to get to class.

A week came and went, Ron had gone home, he had sent Hermione another letter, and Harry was in full teaching swing. He had already had lessons over some of the smaller creatures that the dark lords so favored, courtesy of Hagrid, and had taught all the students how to successfully get rid of them. He planned to soon move up to the larger beasts, some that didn't even have masters but were still dark, and then on to the very basics of defensive spells.

He visited Hagrid every day, often eating lunch in the half giant's cabin and laughing over old times. Everything was turning out well, he decided, his decision to come here had been a good one; despite his growing feminine fan club and a small frowning group of Slytherins. What was with that house anyway? He had met only a few students from the house that he actually liked during both in his years as a student and his days as a teacher.

After class one day he decided it was time to take his old broom out for a spin. Carrying it with him, he slipped down the halls towards one of the many exits. The familiar sound of thuds and soft whimpering teased his ears and he back tracked to walk into the boy's bathroom.

On the floor was a small boy, probably a second or third year, crying as two older boys pushed and kicked at him. They weren't actually beating him into a pulp so much as bullying him and giving him a few bruises. One them laughed and asked how the mudblood liked playing with the big boys while telling him to fight back like the wizard he had been pretending to be. Harry almost lost it.

"_Petrificus Totalus" _he hissed and the two boys standing above the boy were frozen in place, only their eyes rolling about in their sockets reflected their panic. Harry walked over and helped the small boy get up off the floor, he smiled softly down at him, "Would you wait for me a moment outside?" The boy nodded nervously and scampered from the room. Harry turned back on the bullies.

He released them from their curse and they both fell into a heap on the floor. He smiled grimly down on them, "You really got that filthy little mudblood good didn't you?"

They looked wearily at him for a second before nodding. After a few more moments passed by and they decided Harry wasn't mad they started to smile.

"Got him good. What was he thinking coming to this place and expecting to be treated like any other worthy pure blood wizard?" he growled at them, still masking the fury that was burning his insides.

They laughed and one, the leader most likely, spoke up, "Maybe now he will go home to the muggles where he belongs!"

Harry nodded, "Yes…where he belongs…" He was quiet now and his encouraging smile gone, staring at them both until the amusement faded from their eyes and was again replaced by fear.

"Did you boys know that one of my best friends is a _mudblood?"_ He glared at them both, "And the whole time she studied here, she caught shit from pompous gits, just like yourselves…"

"We didn't mean-" one started but shut up when Harry narrowed his eyes on him.

"Oh, you did mean, boy, with all of your black little heart. Now let me teach _you _a lesson. Every student in this school _deserves _to be here, based on the decision of the Headmaster, who is a good kind hearted woman. But me? I'm not good or kind hearted and where she might let you off with a swat on the wrist and a few demerits, I will make sure that you regret the day you ever decided to look at a muggle-born student wrong. Do you understand?"

He walked a slow circle around them, "You boys, are the future, be it good or bad. And me? I hunt the bad, be it young or old. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Their faces turned completely white.

"From this point on, you had better be on your _best _behavior, because I will not let this slide again. The next time I, or anyone else, catches you degrading and harming a fellow student, I'm going to teach you just how it feels. Do you understand?" He stopped in front of them, gathering his all of height to look down at them. "Right now, the only people that don't deserve to be at this school are you two. I suggest you change that. Fast."

They swallowed and quickly nodded.

"You may leave now," he said and watched them hustle to the door, "Oh, and boys?" They froze and turned slowly to look at him.

"Seventy points off Slytherin for each of you," he said and they nodded once before jumping out of the bathroom and down the halls.

Harry sighed and walked out into the hallway to find the small Hufflepuff boy and kneel before him, "What's your name?"

The kid took a deep shaking breath and looked up at him, "Stanley Murdoc, sir."

Harry nodded and stood, holding out a hand to the boy, "Well Stanley, my name is Harry." He gently lifted the boy up when the small hand was placed in his own, "And my room and office is at the top of Gryffindor tower."

The boy licked his lips nervously and nodded.

"I want you to come there if you ever have any trouble like this again. Ok?" Harry asked, turning to walk in the direction of the Hufflepuff tower.

The boy nodded again and looked up at the tall man walking next to him, "Was it true, what you said, to Shane and Cody?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "I said a lot of things but they were all true."

The boy fidgeted with his book bag, "That your best friend was…like me?"

Harry smiled, "Her name is Hermione and she is still one of my best friends, I'd trust her fighting by my side more than I would any purebloods."

The boy looked awed, "She fights good?"

"Really good," Harry smiled, "and she's also the smartest person I know. You know, it's really not fair that she's good at everything, is it?"

Stanley giggled, "I think it's cool. You're a teacher here right?"

Harry nodded as they started climbing the stairs, "Yeah, Defense Against the Dark Arts. But not too long ago I was a student here, just like you, and so was she."

He nodded, "That's good."

Harry smiled as they fell into a companionable silence the rest of the walk to the boy's room. Upon arriving there, he ruffled the boy's hair for him and headed back for his original goal, the sky.

"That was really impressive of you Harry," a familiar voice said from behind him.

Harry smiled and turned, finding the Gryffindor ghost, "Sir Nicholas! It's good to see you!"

The knightly ghost's detached head smiled, "And you as well. It looks like you have returned to further aid Hogwarts in its war against the dark arts. I do believe you scared those young villains right out of their shorts!"

Harry's smile faded a bit, "I was a little hard on them but I'm really hoping I scared them into thinking twice about treating others like that. If we can put them onto the right path now, hopefully there won't be another Voldemort for a long while."

The ghost smiled, "You sound just like him."

They both knew who 'him' was; it would be years before someone could say 'him' and everyone wouldn't assume they were referring to Dumbledore. "The difference between me and him, is that I am willing push the students onto that path, not gently guide them to it. Voldemort has shaped my life in every way possible, I will never be as kind or open minded as Dumbledore was."

The ghost put his hand on Harry's shoulder and he could almost feel it.

"You are doing well boy, as he knew you would" the ghost gave a bow and with that vanished from sight.

Harry sighed and walked the rest of the way outside; it was almost disconcerting to see Sir Nicholas being so serious. With a determined breath Harry hopped onto his broomstick and rocketed into the sky.

For the first few minutes he just flew, looping and flipping and diving, reveling in the joy that was flying. Then he slowed to take in the view below him. Hogwarts spread out, a beacon of strength and hope in the dark wilderness around it. He flew over by the lake, going low enough to skim the water with his hand before climbing higher again and circling the school to fly a safe distance above the Womping Willow. He smiled as he remembered that first horrifying encounter with Sirius, there was another man he would miss until the day he died. He passed the vegetable gardens and the huge pumpkin patch and flew over the curving line of the forbidden forest until he reached Hagrid's house.

He saw his friend standing in the middle of a group of students, waving his arms and talking excitedly, looking like an enormous redwood surrounded by saplings. Harry grinned and circled slowly down so that he could land near Hagrid's house without disturbing the class.

Once landed, he leaned his broom against wooden cabin and wandered over to where the group was standing. Hagrid looked really excited today.

"-what it's like, to hear even the smallest noises of the forest and smell your prey from miles away!" Hagrid grinned at them. "A dragon has the keenest senses of all the beasts alive, and the strength and magic to defeat anything that stands in its way!"

Harry gave Hagrid a crooked grin when the giant looked up and saw him.

"Harry! You're just in time!" Hagrid waved him over and pulled a small vial out of his heavy coat. He turned back to the class, "One lucky student is about to drink this and instantly have all the abilities and senses of a dragon without actually being one! Your body won't change shape or size, but you will feel the difference!"

Harry frowned, eyeing the vial. Hagrid had never been great at potions…

"I've checked and rechecked each of the ingredients and measurements in this potion, and I've and finally gotten it perfect!" he laughed. "Who wants to try?"

Several hands flew up into the air while a smart few others actually looked nervous. Hagrid was handing the vial to one of the older boys when Harry stepped in.

"How about you let me drink it Hagrid and if it is a great success, we can share it with the students," he smiled at his huge friend. He would never make it clear that he didn't think the kind man wasn't going to be able to pull it off, nor that he was worried he might hurt one of the students. "I'd love have the senses of a dragon," or perhaps not have any senses for a few weeks, if the spell misfired. He prayed the giant didn't see through his comment and feel hurt.

Hagrid looked thoughtful for a moment, "Alright Harry, but only because you're a good friend. I wouldn't cheat the students of this experience for just anyone." He handed the small glass tube to his young friend.

Harry took the vial with a smile, "So how long will this last?"

He saw a bit of doubt cloud his friend's eyes for a second before he answered, "A few days at the longest."

Harry nodded, eyed the silver liquid, and then upended the bottle and swallowed its contents.

"It's from the blood of a Ukrainian Ironbelly, which is the biggest of all the dragons," Hagrid supplied as he watched.

Harry swallowed nervously and waited for something to happen.

"They are a silver color, with blood red eyes, and some of the longest talons I have ever seen. I've never seen an Ironbelly, but I did come across one of their talons in a marketplace a while back…and I've heard the tales of their-" he stopped midsentence as Harry clutched suddenly at his stomach.

"Is it supposed to hur-"he didn't finish the question before the full power of the potion hit him and knocked him off his feet. Every muscle in his body locked as he jerked on the ground, Hagrid rushed to his side and picked him up.

"I'll get you to the Madam Pomprey right away, Harry, just hang on," the giant said and started to move towards the school.

"No," Harry's voice came out in a growl; he didn't want Hagrid to carry him to the nurse like this in front of the students. If even one of them told another teacher, Hagrid would be neck deep in trouble, and possibly forced to stop teaching for a while. "I'm…ok" he managed to get out, his muscles were slowly stopping their fevered jerking, only to be replaced with a painful burning. Every part of his body was suddenly burning as if he was on fire. He wanted to scream but settled for writhing silently.

Hagrid made a guttural noise under his breath and laid Harry gently down on the ground before pulling back his red blistered hands.

Harry kept his mouth shut and his teeth gritted, the kids were already terrified; he wouldn't make it worse by screaming like he wanted to. He had never in his life hurt this bad. Never. A soft sizzling around him told him that he had fried the grass underneath him.

His fingertips felt like someone was shoving a knife…out of them.

His entire mouth ached, each of this teeth a source of agony all by itself.

His bones felt like they had all shattered. He hissed as he breathed heavily through the pain, willing himself to stay as silent and still as possible despite the agony. It was lessening…faintly.

Slowly the acid in his blood was weakening, and as it did he gathered the strength to look at Hagrid reassuringly and then down at his hands. He sucked in a breath as he watched his skin switching from shimmering metallic gray scales to his normal skin and then back to the scales. With every beat of his heart, his skin was blinking between the forms, and covering him in an itching crawling sensation.

As his panting slowed, and his heart calmed down, he watched the frequency of the pulsing slow, and his skin stay longer in each of the forms. They flashed into scales, and stayed that way. He suffered a moment of panic, thinking that he might be covered in fucking scales for the rest of his life, but heaved a heavy sigh of relief when it pulsed once more and he was left with his normal, human, tan, skin. Thank God.

He closed his eyes and flopped his head back on the ground with a smile on his face, and then the rest of the potion hit him. The scent of Hagrid, of every student there, of their fear, of the burnt grass below him, of the cedar pollen on the trees, of the small bluebell flowers growing somewhere nearby in the woods all hit him like a ton of bricks. He was heaving in great lungfulls of air over and over, trying to find the oxygen around all the smells and only making himself feel nauseous.

His ears were next. The heart beats of everyone around him, their hitching breaths, the trees rustling in the wind, the flap of a birds wings on the other side of Hagrids house, it all washed over him. He clutched at his ears, trying to quiet their roaring, while still gasping like he couldn't get any oxygen.

Hagrid knelt beside him and whispered as quietly as he could, "Take these and put them in your ears."

Harry snatched the cotton balls and shoved them in his ears while panting and looking at Hagrid.

The giant looked at the ground guiltily, "I brought them just in case."

"What did you bring" gasp "for the scents" gasp. He squinted to shut out some of the blinding light of the sun; at least this sense he could shut off at will. Though it only seemed to make the sounds penetrating his ear plugs even louder.

Hagrid shook his head, "Nothing. I'd tell you to hold your nose but you are already breathing through your mouth."

Harry nodded, still struggling to adjust, and nodded towards the students, "Go tell them" gasp "that everything is" gasp "ok."

Hagrid seemed to suddenly remember the kids were there and turned quickly to comfort them. Harry could tell by the horror on their faces that the giant wouldn't have an easy job of it. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on the scents. He took apart every one of them, identifying what they were and filing them away in his memory, slowly adjusting his nose and lungs to all the new information. When he was breathing had slowed to almost normal he stopped trying to smell and started trying to hear. Analyzing each sound he heard, adjusting to the pitch and the pain it caused, he acclimated himself to the hearing of a Ukrainian Ironbelly.

When his body decided to allow it, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his knees. Thank God he hadn't let a student drink the potion. They would have been screaming and hyperventilating until they died or passed out, Hagrid would have suffered a lot more than being fired.

He climbed to his feet just as Hagrid turned around. "I'm ok," he said, his voice was a bit rougher than normal, but still held the calm tone of confidence he wanted them to hear. He looked up at Hagrid only to frown in confusion when the gaint's mouth fell open.

One of the girls in the class squealed and turned to bury her face in the chest of the boy next to her.

"What?" he asked, and tried to ignore the trembling in his legs.

"Your eyes," Hagrid mumbled, "they are red…like blood"

Harry didn't bother trying not to glare at the giant, "Oh? Can we use some more graphic words to drive this lesson home for the students?"

Hagrid flushed pink and turned to the students, "His eyes will change back, just like his skin did. Harry is fine, and his senses will be back to normal tomorrow."

Harry hoped he was right about the eye thing but his gut told him that Hagrid was wrong about the rest, he wasn't fine…and this beast inside him wasn't going to be ready to leave anytime soon. He blinked repeatedly, stupidly hoping that it would change his eyes back. But the next time Hagrid turned around, he saw the giant smile.

"See? Same old hazel eyes. Ask him a few questions kids, the class is almost over," Hagrid smiled at him like everything was ok.

A flush of unwarranted anger at Hagrid's behavior made Harry's ears focus on the giant's heartbeat, it seemed to pound louder than the others now. He could practically see the blood moving through the big man's veins..all that soft meat under his skin…he could kill him in seconds.

"Did it…did it hurt?" a nervous boy asked.

Harry fought not to snarl at the kid but could thankfully now take his eyes off of Hagrid's throat, "Yes."

"Can you smell…everything?" another boy asked.

Harry nodded.

"Like what?" a girl got brave and piped up, only to shrink as his gaze landed on her.

"Like…you are wearing some sort of flowery perfume. But you use some sort of citrus smelling shampoo. Like…his scent is all over you, are you two dating?" He asked, nodding toward the boy.

The pair blushed and nodded.

"So you can hear everything too? Like rabbits in the forest fifty feet away?" a boy asked, the sweet scent of his fear was almost gone.

Harry tilted his head, the rabbits had stopped moving minutes ago, everything had. No animal moved or spoke in the forest for at least a good mile. He could smell their fear too. "Yes but they are quiet now. I can hear your hearts beating though. It's like a chorus with so many of you here. I can hear Fang panting inside Hagrid's cabin…I can even hear the Womping Willow creaking as it moves."

The kids were all wearing a look that told him they weren't sure if they were terrified of him or if they thought this was all really cool.

Hagrid cleared his throat, "That's it for today. I'll see you all next time."

Once they were all gone he turned back to Harry, "Does it all still hurt?"

Harry took the cotton out of his ears, waited for them to readjust, "My body is still throbbing with pain but something else is wrong." He noted the blood spotted on both of the cotton balls before putting them slowly in his pocket to throw away later.

"Like what?" Hagrid asked moving closer.

Harry's eyes met his and he knew Hagrid could see an echo of the beast there. "Like…I'm starving…and you look like food."

Hagrid nodded, "I'll go get some meat, you stay put."

Harry briefly debated telling the giant not to bother, that he could hunt his own, but his human side won the battle and he sat down on the ground. "Something bloody Hagrid and warm."

The huge man paused a moment in his steps and then hurried the rest of the way to the cabin.

Within minutes he was back, putting a plate in front of Harry with a steak on it almost large enough to cover up all the brown of the clay plate. Harry's mouth started watering so bad he had trouble keeping it all from drooling down his chin. "Leave please…and…I'll need more soon."

Hagrid looked indecisive, but nodded and walked away.

As soon as Harry heard his footsteps recede into the cabin he pounced on the raw beef in front of him and started ripping hunks of it off one mouthful at a time. His eyes saw his fingers seem to lengthen, his nails seem to grow a bit and curl into sharp points, but his mind barely registered them.

After Hagrid had returned and brought him a second steak and he had finished it, he lay back on the ground feeling human for the most part.

The giant came back out of his house slowly and handed Harry a towel and a bowl of water, "How do I look now, Harry?"

Harry sighed as he stood up and pulled his robes over his head, "Like an old friend who has gotten himself in way over his head."

Hagrid nodded and watched Harry dip the towel into the water and proceed to wipe his skin clean of all the blood he had covered himself in. "I'm sorry but it should wear off soon."

Harry shook his head, "No, it won't be soon."

His friend opened his mouth and then shut it, wanting to speak but too confused to do so.

"I can feel it Hagrid, lurking just below my skin. It's hungry, and angry, and dying for a fight. I want to hurt something Hagrid… I want to kill it," Harry sighed heavily and finished washing off. "It's like it has taken a piece of me and replaced it…and it has dug it's claws in to hold it there."

Hagrid watched him for a moment before nodding, "The potion was never supposed to give to sense of the dragon mind. I need to go look up some of their behaviors and traits…go get some sleep, I'll come find you when I know something."

Harry nodded and started to walk towards the school but stopped when Hagrid spoke again, "Just don't let yourself get hungry…eat a lot and often…"

He gave Hagrid another short nod and walked the rest of the way back to his room, his body thudding with pain at each new step and his mind whirling with thoughts.

After he got his room, Harry had just laid down to try and sleep when the sweetest scent teased across his nose. He sat up, and so did his dick. Harry glared at it before he looked around the room and found the source of the scent. Hedwig II was sitting on his truck by the window, diligently holding a letter.

Harry murmured softly, hoping the new side of his personality didn't scare the beautiful bird. It tilted its head and looked up at him with its big golden eyes for a moment before settling back down to sleep. Harry smiled and gently took the letter, thankful that he wasn't in the least hungry.

Holding the envelope under his nose he took a deep breath and sighed. The scent had his whole body humming with pleasure and even worse, that pleasure was concentrated in a certain area. He grimaced at his body's eagerness and opened the envelope, praying it wasn't from who he thought it was.

Hermione. The scent was amazing. The immense urge to find her immediately and claim her made him shiver. He inhaled more of her scent as he opened the letter and tried to actually read the words he was seeing.

_Harry, _

_I'm so glad you are the head of the Gryffindor house, it suits you very well. And as for McGonagall's statement of you ending up a headmaster one day, I think it's likely. You have a gift with leading Harry and a bigger gift of honesty and righteousness. You should be feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, not over analyzing and getting upset about replacing Dumbledore. He is gone Harry, someone will have to take his place. That's the way of life. Who better to do that then you?_

_And as for me coming to visit, I've finally got it arranged so that I have someone to watch the store for me for about a week. So I'll arrive a day or two after you receive this letter. That should give you time to find a better place to sleep than the floor. I can't believe Ron took your bed; he's such a rude house guest. _

_ Anyway, I can't wait to see you, _

_ Hermione_

Harry groaned and flopped down at his desk. He wanted nothing more than to have Hermione come and help him sort through the catastrophe that Hagrid's potion making skills had put him into, but he was afraid of what he might do. He had always admired her, cared for her...wanted her. But as the years had passed and he had watched her grow into a beautiful woman, his heart had finally taken the dive. He would never tell her, never let her know. She deserved a better life, more normal, less…hectic. Seriously. He had only been back a couple of weeks and already he had gotten himself into a disaster, he wasn't a suitable mate for her.

He pulled out his own writing utensils and tried to decide how best to phrase, 'Hermione you can't come because I might lose control and rape you' Oh, she would love that.

_Hermione,_

_ I'm so sorry, I know we have been planning on you coming to Hogwarts for a while, but something has come up. I will be working on fixing it for at least a week and you would be bored to tears if you came…_

_ I'm sorry again, but you have got to wait to come a bit longer, I'll write you as soon as something changes,_

_ Harry_

He gave the envelope to Hedwig, let her eat a small dish of her pellets, and apologized as he sent her back out the window and into the air.

HERMIONE'S POV:

Hermione's brows furrowed as she read Harry's letter again. Something was going on, something bad. He had always asked for her help when he was in trouble before, so why not now? She knew he still trusted her abilities. All of this combined to form a hollow seeking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She looked over the carefully worded letter and tried to come up with what could have happened to worry him so, and make him completely avoid telling her what it was.

Her mouth settled into determined lines as she put down the letter and went into her room to finish packing. She would leave for Hogwarts tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

I'd planned on waiting a little longer to post this chapter but...someone *cough* *dark dragen* *cough* was most persistent about begging me to post it. So, you're welcome. =P

HARRY'S POV:

Harry sighed as his first class of the day started to disperse. He had eaten another two steaks this morning at Hagrid's, then a small breakfast of ham and eggs in the dining hall, and yet he was already hungry again.

It was all too much. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood up from his desk. He had already barely escaped a disaster of epic portions once today, and the day was only half over. He had been demonstrating one of the basic defensive spells, just a small incantation, _Incarcerous,_ and chains were supposed to appear to bind the enemy you were aiming your wand at. Luckily, Harry had decided to demonstrate on a manikin in front of the class, as opposed to a student, because as soon as he had opened the part of his mind that held his magic it was like flood gates had been opened. The once healthy and appropriately proportioned manikin had been covered with chains from nose to toes, and it had buckled and crushed under their heavy weight. If it had been a student…he would have killed someone. He sighed, not actually that happy with the flood of magical power that came with drinking Hagrid's _amazing _potion. He would have to make sure not to use any magic on anything living, just to be safe. On the upside, the kids had taken the lesson very seriously after that, and had been cautious when casting the spells themselves, something that was usually rare and often caused problems when absent.

He started throwing his books into his bags only to freeze as the scent of something warm and sweet washed over him. He sniffed softly for a second before straightening and turning around to find Clare.

"Are you ok? You look tired…and a little pale," she asked, moving closer to look up at him.

Harry didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the words as he tried to pin down what the smell was. It was…sweet, almost like Hermione but more primal…musky…temptingly feminine…and vaguely mouthwatering. He sniffed for a second longer before stepping in close to her.

He watched her pupils dilate and heard her breath catch softly, and then the scent strengthened. He fought the urge to groan. She was turned on…and it smelled…fantastic.

"Harry?" she whispered, her eyes reflecting a bit of fear and a lot of hunger.

He tilted his head and leaned a little closer to her, moving until his nose was almost brushing the smooth skin of her neck so that he could breathe in deeply. He decided the unique scent that every human had, seemed to get stronger the closer to the skin one got. Logical. So…the scent of her arousal would most likely be its strongest at its source… Harry let his lips smooth across her delicate skin and felt her tremble below him.

"I see why you are so busy Harry. Honestly, if you would have just mentioned your rendezvous with a minor I would have totally understood and waited to visit," a soft feminine voice said from the door, the tone laced with anger and something else.

Her scent hit him with a force equivalent to a train. She was far from aroused but damn it if he didn't immediately get even harder.

He lifted his head from Clare's neck and heard her exhale heavily as his eyes shot up to devour Hermione.

He saw the hesitation flicker across his beautiful friend's angry features. The prey inside her, and the woman, both recognized the predator lurking under his skin and her instincts were telling her to run.

He seriously hoped she did, though he wasn't sure if that was because he wanted chase her or because he wanted her safe and far away from him. Either way, he was seconds away from pouncing.

"Harry?" Clare murmured, gently touching his chest, "Are you ok? Your eyes are…"

He looked down at her, "You need to leave Clare. Shut the door behind you."

She gulped, nodded, and tried to rush out the door without looking like she was panicking.

"Red." Hermione finished for the girl as she walked towards him past the fleeing student, "Your eyes are red."

He grinned and saw her flinch at the expression, still, he was glad she was ignoring those oh-so-correct instincts and coming closer. Part of him was starting to panic but another, much bigger, part was extremely pleased.

"This isn't about the girl, is it? What the hell has happened?" she asked, now within feet of him.

Harry's eyes shut as her scent crashed over him in waves, getting stronger and stronger the closer she got. Her letter had come nowhere near doing her unique scent justice.

She touched his arm and he couldn't hold back any longer.

HERMIONE'S POV:

Hermione sucked in a shocked breath as she was suddenly pinned against the wall with Harry standing between her legs, lifting her feet off the floor; he was the only thing holding her up. She opened her mouth to say something only to gasp again when she felt how hard he was between her thighs. She avoided groaning as one of her reoccurring fantasies exploded to life around her.

He buried his face in her neck and she could hear him inhaling deeply while mumbling, "I _told _you not to come…I _tried_ to keep you safe…"

He groaned and started sliding his lips back and forth over her sensitive skin.

She couldn't do anything but shiver and gasp as his hips rocked against hers and her skirt was pushed up further and further; what had before been a cute floral knee length skirt was now barely covering her ass. She should say something, push him away, but all she wanted to do was pull him closer. This wasn't her Harry, this was wrong…this was overwhelming.

"Harry? I thought we had planned…" Hagrid stopped talking as he walked fully into the room and saw…everything.

She jerked as she heard Harry's deep rumbling growl. He was watching Hagrid like a defensive animal would, and he wasn't moving away from her.

"Now Harry…think: that's Hermione, you don't want to hurt her…" Hagrid's accent made the h's in his words almost nonexistent, and Hermione had the random thought that she had really missed hearing his voice, before she was jerked back to reality by Harry's hips grinding against hers again.

"Go…get meat or something…I can't just…" he mumbled and she heard a bit of the old Harry peaking through the madness.

Hagrid nodded and shut the door before thundering off down the hall.

Hermione looked back and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw how close Harry's face was. His eyes and nose were only an inch or so away from her face as he tilted his head to the side and breathed softly against her.

"Harry?" she whispered, "Can you hear me?"

She jumped as he answered and his warm breath teased over her cheek and jaw line, "Of course, I'm not deaf, just…possessed…sort of."

His voice was light, and almost back to normal, but his body was still hard against hers and his arms still like a steel cage around her. She had to fight to keep from wiggling her hips against his. She could feel his nose and lips brushing her skin now as his face trailed down the other side of his neck, breathing against her. Why was his breathing so…sexy? Her traitorous body wiggled before she realized she had done it.

He groaned and pressed harder between her spread legs, "I was so worried…that I would hurt you…but now I know…"

The door opened again and Hagrid stepped in and shut it behind him. He walked forward, holding the bloody meat on the plate out in front of him until he seemed to catch Harry's attention.

Hermione felt her friend's focus slip away from her and his hold on her become less and less firm, until she slid down the wall and back onto her feet.

"Take her out of here," he growled as he stiffly walked away from her and towards the desk where Hagrid had placed the plate.

Hagrid nodded and reached out towards her.

Harry snarled and turned on them, eyes blazing so red that Hermione felt a blast of fear…for Hagrid.

"Don't _touch_ her…just leave…" he growled and watched them both back up and go out the door separately.

Hagrid heaved a sigh as he got the door shut and looked at her.

Hermione glared at him, "What the hell is going on! Was anyone planning on mentioning this to me at any point?"

The giant looked down guiltily. "It's all my fault I'm afraid. I mixed a potion up, to give the students an idea of how amazing a dragon's senses are…"

Hermione barely managed not to wince as she pictured Hagrid concocting anything.

"I used some of the dragon's blood…just like the book said… I was so careful…" he sighed and started walking down the hall, making her follow him. "I was about to give it to one of the students when Harry showed up…said he wanted to try it... so I gave it to him instead…"

Understanding was sinking in. Harry had taken a risk, knowing that if something bad had happened to a student, Hagrid would have been in trouble. Hell, if a kid started acting like Harry was now, then she was almost sure the caring giant would already be in Azkaban. Stupid, stupid Harry. He could have saved them all the trouble if he would have just 'accidentally' spilled the potion on the ground instead of worrying more about Hagrid's feelings more than his own safety.

"And now he is turning into one?" she asked, suddenly feeling panicky over how fast the minutes were sliding through her fingers, like water she just couldn't hold.

Hagrid was quiet for a second, "I don't think it's gotten worse since yesterday. Harry is still Harry…he has just told me that he can feel the beast inside him. It has given him its senses and taken control of his instincts. He told me yesterday I looked like food…right scary it was. But the effects should be wearing off soon…"

Hermione nodded. She would have to get the rest of the story from Harry…when he was sane. At the thought of him, her body shivered again. She wasn't even close to being cold. Damn him. Damn Hagrid's potion. And damn this ring. Her mind circled back and she found herself wishing Harry had finished his sentence before Hagrid had returned. He had thought he would hurt her, he had said, but know he knew… knew what? The question niggled at her brain but she ignored it and followed Hagrid to get Harry another pair of robes, a towel, and a basin of water.

"What's all this for?" she asked, nodding to the towel and robe she carried.

Hagrid shrugged and smiled, "He tends to get messy when he eats…"

Her eyebrow raised; Hagrid had taken on that tone that he often had when wistfully referring to some horrendous venomous creature as if it were a cuddly teddy bear. She fought not to give an unladylike snort. Harry was far from cute and cuddly right now…though not in any way unattractive. She smacked her forehead and walked the rest of the way in silence.

HARRY'S POV:

He sighed heavily as his new hearing tipped him off that Hermione and Hagrid were returning minutes before they reached the door. He took off his now blood-splattered robe and the shirt under it, and started wiping his skin off with a clean section of the material. The steak hadn't been as bloody as the last and Harry was disturbed by how much that pissed him off. The blood was one of the best parts…

The door opened and he didn't bother saying anything as he leaned against a desk with his head hung. There was nothing he could say to Hermione to make her forgive him. Frankly he was surprised she wasn't on her way home yet. Perhaps she just wanted to give him a piece of her mind first…that would be something she would do.

Hagrid sat the bowl of water on the desk next to him and Harry mumbled his thanks and waited for a towel, only it never came. He looked up and found Hermione dipping the cloth into the warm water.

"You can go Hagrid, it's alright. We'll come by your cabin as soon as he's cleaned up," her soft voice was full of command, and the doubtful looking giant slowly nodded and left.

"I'm sorry-" he managed to get out before she shushed him and started wiping his blood smeared skin clean.

After a moment he sighed and grabbed her hand after it had wrung out the towel and was about to land back on his chest, she squeaked and he fought not to show her how much he liked the sound.

"Just because you aren't against the wall doesn't mean the beast is gone, Hermione. It still wants you and you rubbing all over me makes it a little hard to control," he growled out, hearing the change in his voice easily but unable to stop it. The dragon inside him shouldn't be so close to stirring again…he had just eaten. Hermione's scent filled his nose again and he knew that the beast liked her way too much.

She blinked at him, "I'm sorry…I just wanted to help you…and you look so tired…"

He hadn't slept at all last night but she didn't need to know that, "You don't have to apologize for caring, Hermione. Any other day I'd love to have you touching me like this but I just _can't…_" Had he just said that? That he welcomed her hands on him? The statement was true enough but what the hell was he thinking? Years of hiding his feelings for her and he was just going to blurt them all out now because he suddenly had the excuse of being a horny dragon?

"I'm sorry. I can't think straight… Just let me do it…" he took the towel from her slack grip and hurriedly finished cleaning up. The fact that he had smelled her arousal as intensely as he had his own when he had had her pinned against the wall just made it all the harder to control himself now.

She watched him with worried eyes and he did his best to ignore the faint scent of her desire still clinging to her clothes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked softly.

He didn't bother took look up as he started putting on the clean robe, "I know you. I knew you would want to help. And I knew you wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and stay the hell away, where it was safe."

Hermione gave him a half smile, "True enough…but why not ask me for help?"

Harry sighed and tried to ignore how silky the soft brown waves of her hair looked around her face, "I was really hoping I could figure it out myself. I knew I was dangerous and I didn't want to subject you to that. You deserve better."

Her hand gently slid into his own once he was finished dressing and she gave it a gentle squeeze when he looked down at her, "You're my best friend Harry, I help you through your hard stuff and you help me through mine. It's what friends do. Plus, it's a little late to start sheltering me from your hectic life style now."

He sighed; she had deserved better back then too. She led him out of the room and down the halls by the hand; he fought to ignore the embarrassment, the anger, the desire, and the heartache that all seemed to be trying to drown him now. Strangely enough, his very dominant inner dragon had no problem letting this delicate little girl parade him through the hallways like a tamed house pet on a leash, and Harry found himself wondering if that was a good or a bad thing.

Harry had just about decided that the dragon was again under control when a boy, probably a sixth or seventh year, walked around a corner and ran smack into Hermione, causing her to squeak in surprise and fall back against Harry. The boy opened his mouth to apologize but paused, frozen like a deer seeing a predator; he heard the deep growl rumbling from Harry and saw the red taking over the man's eyes.

"Harry! Stop!" Again it was Hermione who saved him, after a moment of tugging uselessly against Harry's arm trying to get him to move, she launched into action. Harry had started for the boy, suddenly so angry he wanted blood and she had jumped in between them, her body pressed against his.

"Go, now!" she growled at the boy, as she realized hugging him wouldn't be enough and wrapped her arms around his neck before pressing her lips against that strong column of muscle and bone, she would have gone straight for his lips but he was just too tall to kiss without him leaning down to help. Neither of them paid her any attention so she did the only thing she could think of, she bit him, hard.

The boy still seemed frozen but Harry's growling was quieter. She turned to look at the boy but Harry's hand came up and tangled in her hair, effectively pushing her face back against him and keeping her from looking at his adversary.

"Leave," Harry growled, filled to the brim with primal and strange thoughts. The other male had tried to hurt what was his, who could be so stupid? Harry's scent was all over her, all the others should know that she taken, that she was protected…that she was mated. Harry's mind seemed to trip over and over the possessive thoughts, Hermione was in a lot more trouble then she knew. The more he thought of her being upset with him, the calmer he got, the more in control he was; neither he nor the dragon would hurt her.

"Are you…better?" she whispered against his skin.

Harry shivered, his skill being sensitive from her mean little teeth, she had probably made him bleed...but he had enjoyed every second of it. "Define 'better'."

She sighed and stepped away from him and he barely managed to suppress the urge to pull her back.

"Let's get to Hagrid's, I think the less time you spend surrounded by students, the better," she said calmly and walked off like nothing had happened.

Harry groaned and followed her, making sure to keep his body close to hers. She wasn't holding his hand anymore, so he would have to try a little harder to make their relationship clear to others. Perhaps later, when she was curled against him in bed, she would let him mark her…

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked, glancing at him, since he had quickened his pace to walk at her side. "You looked like you were thinking really hard about something and then all the sudden you got this look of horror."

Harry noted the worried tone of her voice and felt another stab of guilt, "The dragon thing is just…making me think weird shit… and I'm having trouble…"

"Trouble with what?" she asked, grabbing his arm and stopping, thereby stopping him too.

He sighed and avoided looking at her, "It's hard to tell… what are thoughts are mine and which are from the other… It's just weird."

She gave him compassionate eyes, "Is it scary?"

He nodded, "Very."

Her face conveyed that she felt his pain and he hastily looked back at the ground. "I'm going to fix this Harry; we aren't going to let this hurt you anymore."

"I'm not worried about me, Hermione," was it his imagination or did his voice get rougher every time he said her name?

"Oh…" he felt her body start to fidget, he had made her nervous. Good, he thought, at least she understands now.

"Come on," she whispered, and firmly took his hand again, leading him the rest of the way to Hagrid's.

"I will just have to do some more research," Hermione said as she read and reread the spell that Hagrid had used to change Harry. "If you only used these ingredients then I simply don't understand how this spell could stay in effect so long…these are all very delicate materials…and very perishable. However did you get them all?"

Hagrid shrugged, "Not everything I buy is from…a well known legitimate shop…"

She sighed, "You bought them in the Dark market? No wonder Harry was transformed! They probably sold you something laced with some poison! Or the wrong ingredient all together!"

Hagrid scratched his head in embarrassment, "I've gotten plenty of things there. They all worked well…and they were cheap….and Dumbledore always asked me to go there and keep my ears open for news. I'm really sorry Harry."

Harry gave him a forced smile, "It will turn out fine Hagrid."

Hermione nodded as she grudgingly shut the book, "Yes, it will. Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm quiet excellent at fixing them. So don't be upset, Hagrid."

The giant sighed, "I still should have known better."

"Yes. You should have," Hermione said, her warm tone gone now. "But as Harry said, it will turn out fine."

The giant nodded but didn't say anything else as Hermione pulled on her cloak and looked at Harry, "Let's go to your room, and perhaps the library…on the way."

"My room?" he asked, already standing to follow her.

"You shouldn't be alone Harry," she said, "what if something happens and you lose control? Another experienced wizard needs to be with you at all times…one who isn't afraid to hurt you a little if you need it."

Harry nodded, uneasy with her plans and still confused by all that he was feeling. He followed her out the door without another question and waved at Hagrid when she said their goodbyes.

"You aren't a dragon, what's your excuse for getting short with Hagrid in there?" he asked her after they had gotten a good distance from the cabin.

He felt more than saw her blush.

"He should feel bad Harry, he could have killed a student, and he could have killed you. After so many years of fighting for your life, peace is finally within reach and then Hagrid's potion snatches it away," she whispered, her words were coming out fast and quiet but increased in volume the more she spoke. "I'm mad for you Harry, I'm hurt for you…and I'm scared for you. I don't want to lose you." She walked faster and moved in front of him, effectively hiding her face from him and presenting him with her back.

He smelt her tears and grabbed her shoulders before pulling her back against his chest without turning her around. "Don't cry Hermione. It makes me crazy…and feel completely useless. Just stop…it will be fine. I mean, even if I don't ever get rid of it, Lupin and many others live with an animal inside them every day. I can learn to control it if everything else fails."

She turned in his arms and cried against his chest, this wasn't the first time that the complete unfairness of Harry's situation/life has made her cry, she always ached for him. But he was right, right? Could he control it and be normal if she couldn't find a cure? She remembered how he had looked, snarling at the boy in the halls for bumping into her and she cried harder.

Harry groaned and bent down so that he could swing an arm under her knees and lift her up, cradling her against his chest as he started walking back towards his room.

Hermione sniffled and wiped at her face, "I'm so sorry, I'm supposed to be here to help and all I'm doing is crying like a stupid girl."

He smiled, her distorted views were always amusing to hear but they didn't ease the ache that he was feeling because of her pain. "It's ok to cry. I like that someone cries for me…."

She clung to him even tighter and started to cry a little harder. Tonight, she decided, she would hurt for him and let the pain out. Tomorrow, she would hit the books and solve the problem.

It was only because she had fallen asleep on the way to his room that he was able to gently deposit her in his bed and step back. Had she been awake and aware, he wouldn't have been able to slowly tuck her in and not touch her. Had she looked at him with those eyes, no force on earth could have made him walk quietly across the room and sit down in the cold armchair to spend the rest of the night watching her sleep.

HARRY & HERMIONE'S POV, 3rd person: (sorry for the switch up)

Hermione stretched and mumbled as she started to wake. She felt smooth sheets on her skin and knew she was in a bed. She saw the pale blue hue of the material and knew she wasn't in her own bed. Harry. She sat up and hurriedly looked around the room only to sigh softly when her eyes found him crammed into a stiff chair on the other side of the room.

She slid out of the bed, silently tugging on a robe and hurrying to the hall to get him some breakfast before he woke up.

Harry's eyes opened as soon as he smelled the food. He saw the heavily laden tray that Hermione was struggling with and instantly moved to take it from her, carrying it to the desk she had been headed for.

She smiled, "Morning Harry, I figured you would be hungry."

He looked at the food and then back at her. He was starved but it was a tossup as to which hunger he felt more keenly. "Yeah, thanks." He sat down to eat but the beast inside him forced him to stop and wait for the female. She was more important. If she wasn't well-fed then it didn't matter if he wasn't. She wasn't moving.

"I'm not going to be able to eat if you don't," he decided, silently begging her to sit down and eat with him.

She tilted her head, "Is that you having a complex or a dragon thing?"

He rolled his eyes, "A dragon thing."

"How interesting," she sat down and started to load up a plate, "are there many other things that you suddenly have to do?"

He nodded, a warm feeling seemed to be blossoming in his chest as he watched her eat, "I can't be sitting at a desk and have to look up at a kid anymore…I have to be standing or them not be near me. I…can't relax around anyone male. I…suddenly hate the cold, can't eat a frozen yogurt or anything. And uh…I'm sure there's more."

She was glowing as she watched him in fascination, "That so weird…and exciting… I think you should take some time and write all this down. You never know when another person will need the knowledge. Perhaps you could make a short book out of it, sort of a documentary."

He smiled and started eating, "I don't think I want the world to know how I'm feeling right now."

She raised her eyebrow but he didn't say anything further.

She sighed, "Fine, keep your secrets. Will you be ok to teach today while I study at the library? Or should we go by McGonagall's office and tell her that you aren't feeling well?"

Harry felt like growling at the idea of Hermione being alone, there was no way he could cope with this feeling for hours and not snap on a student. "I'm going with you."

She nodded and they finished the food before heading to McGonagall's office.

Hermione found herself losing focus yet again as she saw Harry move out of the corner of her eye. She glanced at where he was sitting across from her and found him looking at her…again.

"Harry it is really disconcerting to have you staring at me like that. I'm not going to get anything done." She neglected to mention the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

"Sorry," he murmured, "You just get this really intense look when you are absorbed in a book and your eyes sort of light up…and it's like everything is new…and beautiful."

Her eyes widened at him and he blushed, "Ignore that, I'm half asleep."

She had noticed the dark smudged under his eyes earlier, "How much sleep did you get the night before last?"

He shrugged and stretched out in the loveseat he had been holding down for the last two hours, "I don't know, two or three hours."

"And last night?" she asked, book now completely forgotten.

"Uh…probably one or two hours total…" he said, suddenly finding the window very interesting.

"Harry! Why didn't you let me sleep in the chair so that you could relax in the bed!" she growled.

"I'd die first," he answered before thinking, surprising them both. He blinked nervously, "I…uh…that was the dragon talking."

Hermione swallowed; her throat suddenly dry, "Oh. Well, uh, just sleep here… I'll be reading for another few hours. The faster I can find your cure the faster we get you back to normal."

He nodded; grateful she didn't press the subject. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep, he kept thinking about her, but he would make an effort.

After another hour of her reading and of him sneaking furtive glances at her, she heaved a sigh and walked over to sit next to him on the loveseat.

"This is the most promising potion I have found yet but I still have those three books to review."

He leaned over her shoulder to read over the page she had presented him with, "Any others?"

"Two or three. I think I'll make all of them at once and just have you try each of them until we find one that works," she said scooting sideways until she was pressed against his side, with her feet tucked under her.

Harry exhaled roughly and had to clench his teeth to keep from pressing closer to her and wrapping his arms around her. Minutes passed by as she read spell after spell to him and he found himself feeling less like molesting her and more like sleeping on her. Poor Hermione, he could just picture the look on her face if he curled up in her lap like some enormous demented cat.

Hermione glanced out of the corner of her eye at Harry as his eyes flickered open and closed. At least she had found one helpful book though it wasn't one that she had heard of before. 'From Egg to Inferno; a Dragon Keepers Guide' had been of little use because the author didn't support the concept of raising dragons, but a man named Gordon Graham Willoughby felt the complete opposite. In his series of large tomes called 'You and Your Dragon: an Instructional Encyclopedia' had already proven to be much more helpful. The second chapter, over newly hatched dragons, mentioned sleeping habits specifically.

_All young dragons need to be kept warm and comfortable, especially when they are sleeping. Hatchlings are very sensitive to ice and snow, so if you live in a cold climate be sure to keep a fire going in the hearth and have plenty of blankets around for them to cuddle up in to rest. _

_Some baby dragons may have trouble sleeping in such a domesticated environment that's so foreign to their instincts; this is especially true for hatchlings captured from the wild post-hatching. So for those of you who don't go the extra mile and create a natural nest for your hatchlings, be sure to make up for it in other places. Touching is a must, hatchlings in the wild and in captivity both gravitate towards one another while sleeping and if another hatchling isn't present then yours will seek warmth somewhere else. One of the little ones I have raised actually spent its nights cuddled with my Saint Bernard, but I suggest for those of you who intend on trying to truly domesticate the beasts (and good luck to you) that YOU do the touching. Pet them often, let them cuddle you in their sleep. It will keep them calm and comfortable and it will strengthen the bond between you. _

_Talking is also important. Let the little one hear you often, this plays a key role where they're sleeping as well, allowing them to become accustomed to your voice. Noise is naturally soothing to them, since mother dragons in the wild make a sort of thrumming noise the entire time they are egg-sitting, and even after the hatching when the little ones are asleep and she is calm. I believe it to be a constant reminder to the hatchlings that she is present, warm and sheltering, but of course that's just speculation. Nonetheless, hum to your babies, talk to them, read them stories, perhaps even sing them a lullaby if you are comfortable; they don't care what noises you make (though they do love humming) just so long as you make them. _

Hermione rolled her eyes at the idiocy but was pleased to note Harry had finally fallen asleep. Some men were crazy but she was glad that one of them had at least written a book about it, so that she could help Harry in small ways even if the bigger one didn't work. Apparently her Harry suddenly had the psyche of a baby dragon, which was sort of adorable to think about.

She huffed and pushed her mind back into the book, reading out loud as she studied the texts that would tell her just what adorable little dragon hatchlings tended to grow up into.

Hours later, three, maybe four, she couldn't read any longer. She slid gently away from the still sleeping Harry and stretched. She had learned a lot more from her book since she had started so many hours ago, not the least of which was that Harry needed to eat roughly every four hours, and sleep roughly half of everyday…of course that was if he was as far into the dragon state of mind as she thought. But she had learned something else, something that had disturbed her a little, something that hinted that Harry also had traits for an adolescent sort of dragon mind. The aggressiveness, the possessiveness, the lust were all characteristics of a young male dragon about to step into raging adulthood… and it would be raging. Male dragons in their prime were well known for the territorial behavior, their aggression towards all other males, their desire to find a mate and produce offspring, and even their urge to kill all other offspring of other dragons. If Harry started all this behavior…well…she just wasn't sure that he could actually learn the control he was so sure about.

"Why are you looking so depressed?" he asked, stretching to lie across the loveseat.

After her initial jump of surprise, she frowned at him, "I was just wondering…" She blinked as an idea hit her. Perhaps she could test the waters now, figure out his behavior before they went somewhere surrounded by others…. "What Stuart was doing right now; I'm kind of debating on calling him, since he doesn't owl."

She watched Harry's entire body change. He didn't move a muscle, he was still in the same relaxed position, but it was tense now as if he was waiting to pounce or holding back a wave of violence. The expression on his face didn't betray anything as he somehow managed to keep all his features blank. But…the one thing he couldn't hide, his eyes, told her what she needed to know. They weren't red yet, but they were suddenly cold…harsh…merciless. "Oh," he said flatly.

She nodded, impressed that that was all he said, perhaps she had been wrong about how much he could control his inner beast. He seemed to be doing well despite his apparent desire for violence.

"And how often do you usually call him to _check in?"_ his voice was now rough, like sandpaper against her skin. Perhaps she had thought too soon, she thought. He sounded so snide and angry now…

"Not checking in, Harry, just…talking, I'm allowed to talk to men right?" she asked, as she obliviously stepped in over her head. She was curious…about just how far she could push him…and what he would do… She recognized the urge as a dangerous one but she decided that since this was clearly for academic purposes…it was ok.

Harry sat up now, running his hands through his hair, "I guess."

"And I'm allowed to date them too, right? Kissing…cuddling…touching…" she found herself whispering but couldn't seem to make her voice any louder…some prey instinct inside her told her that when the predator was this close she needed to stay quiet and still so as not to catch its attention.

Her heart skipped a beat when she suddenly had to look up at Harry because he was standing so close to her now, towering over her.

"Stop it," He hissed.

"But Harry…" she whispered; her eyes locked on his now red gaze. "He is my…boyfriend."

He growled and she felt it tie knots in her stomach and clench somewhere else.

"Shut up," he snarled, "open you're fucking eyes, he is a fucking idiot and I don't want to hear anymore about him. Not. One. More. Word."

"Harry," she started, now worried that she had taken the game too far. She reached her hands up to touch him but he jerked away.

"Don't touch me. You have no clue what is going on with me," He was growling still but Hermione found herself looking not just into the eyes of the dragon but the eyes of Harry and she could see his pain.

"I will kill him Hermione…I swear to God… you should start praying now that I don't ever fucking meet him or hear his name again, because I will rip him into fucking pieces," his voice was quieter now, so soft it was terrifying. She believed him.

"Harry…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…" she stopped when he held up his hand.

"Stop, I'm sorry…but I can't be around you right now… something is… I'm going to go." He forced out before he slipped out the door of the library.

Hermione waited for a bit before silently following him, she had made a mistake, but she couldn't leave him and let him hurt someone because of it. When she saw him climb onto his broom and shoot off into the air like he had dementors on his tail, she headed back to the library.

He would be gone for a while and she would make sure that when he was back she could try to make it up to him.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, here's the next chapter in my HP fanfic. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As a side note, someone commented on Hermione being a little OC and they are definitely not wrong. So I included OC as a bit of a disclaimer in the plot summary so hopefully no one gets unhappy with me. I try to keep it as in character and 'realistic' as possible but hey, Harry and Hermione would NEVER do this right if I didn't help them along a little bit. ;)

Review please!

HARRY'S POV:

Harry sighed when he came to rough landing on his feet a few hours later. He was starving and worse yet, he was still pissed off. Poor fucking Stuart; if he ever met the bloke he really would beat him into a pulp. Harry had disliked him from the moment Ron had told mentioned him, but now, the dragon hated him too…and that was not good news for Stuart. It was only the fear that Hermione would somehow get hurt while he was gone that made him return to Hogwarts that night. He would protect her, even at the cost of his revenge and blood lust.

"Harry, Hermione is down at my cabin with several potions for you to try," Hagrid said as he stepped out of the shadows. "And I brought you this," he handed Harry a plate stacked four inches tall with bleeding meat.

Harry's stomach growled and clenched in anger but Harry ignored it, and he ignored the grating on his skin that seemed to be caused solely by Hagrid's presence. "Hold it please; I've got to see her first." He wouldn't eat while she could be in danger. What kind of mate would he be then? He started moving briskly towards Hagrid's small home, all the while mentally repeating that it was ok for the half giant to be behind him and that he represented no threat.

Hermione looked up from the boiling pot in front of her and found Harry standing in the doorway, "I'm glad your back, I selected four potions that I think are your best chances for a quick and easy fix. So you can try them right…" She looked at the full plate in Hagrid's hands as he walked up behind Harry. "Why haven't you eaten already, Hagrid has been waiting out there for you for nearly two hours. You need to be eating more Harry! Growing dragons need a lot of protein or they get sick!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her comment but didn't remark on it, "Have you eaten since breakfast?"

She blushed and shook her head, "Uh...no, but that doesn't matter because I'm not a dragon with control issues."

He moved into Hagrid's kitchen area and started digging through the cupboards, "No but you are a fragile female that has worked too hard today and lost too much weight over the last five months."

Hermione gaped like a fish. Granted, she had been losing weight, but she wasn't THAT much skinnier than she had been…and she didn't look malnourished at all…so how the hell had he noticed she had lost 'too much weight'?

He made her two sandwiches and moved the pot of potion so he could sit them in front of her, "Eat that."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "You haven't eaten yet."

"And I won't until you do," he growled and sat down next to her at the table. Hagrid chuckled and sat down next to Harry, and Harry just barely managed to keep from snarling at the older man. "Please," he ground out in her direction, looking at neither of them, because he was talking to her but he simply couldn't turn his back to the other male any longer. She must have seen something in his gaze, perhaps the desperate human barely maintaining some semblance of control, and started to eat.

It wasn't until both sandwiches were gone that Harry sighed and started to smell the plate of meat still sitting across the room. He would have to leave her…so she wouldn't see…but he couldn't leave her with the other…

"How about you try a potion first, so maybe you won't even want to eat all that meat?" Hermione asked and got up to go get her first choice.

Harry took it gingerly, wary still from the last potion he had taken, and took the tiny little glass lid off. The scent hit him like a train. It was disgusting…revolting…putrid…he put the tiny glass lid back on the vial and shivered. "My inner lizard does not like this stuff."

Hermione sighed, "Do you think we could hold your nose or something? From what I read this is the best and surest potion…"

"So why did you make three others?" he asked, still eyeing the little vial in his hand, just looking at it literally made his skin crawl.

"I was nervous and didn't have anything else to do and I like to be prepared… Just try it please," she said softly. She had a lot of hope riding on that potion.

Harry seemed to pale as he opened the vial back up and sat the lid back on the table; he swallowed nervously, lifted the bottle, and gulped the sickly green liquid down.

"How is it?" Hermione managed to get out before every muscle in his body rebelled and his stomach heaved.

He hurtled outside and Hermione and Hagrid both looked dumbly at the empty space where he had just been for a moment before following him out the door, Hermione a little behind because she had taken the time to grab a towel and a glass of water. Harry fell to his knees and threw up as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, the liquid tasted even worse the second time. But he didn't just throw up once; it kept coming.

His body was jerking and he was having trouble just getting a breath between his stomach heaves.

"Oh Harry," Hermione whispered as she watched in horror, "I'm so sorry." Each sound of him retching just made her feel a little worse…

After a blessed three second pause his stomach rolled again and he fought to expel what was already no longer in his stomach. Nothing was in his stomach anymore; he had gotten the last of the stomach acid the heave before. Now his stomach just clenched in agony each time his spine bowed.

He felt her hands on his shoulders and calmed marginally before another dry heave hit him.

"What was it you put in that potion, Hermione?" Hagrid asked softly.

Hermione wiped her eyes and looked away as Harry heaved again; at least the intervals between them were getting a little longer. "I don't know…a lot of the common ingredients for transfiguration spell with a few things added in to tame a beast and bring out a person's true self."

Hagrid nodded, "Was one of those ingredients a pretty little red flower called a Fireblight Bud?"

Hermione stilled and nodded, "Yes but it's not poisonous! It was in the damn book! I would never use something harmful or even slightly risky in a spell…"

"Its fine for humans so it wouldn't be mentioned in your books since most potions are _for _humans," Hagrid and Hermione looked at each other while Harry rinsed his mouth out over and over with the water and spit it out onto the ground. "But it's toxic to dragons…lot of farmers in the mountains used to plant it in all their fields…the livestock would eat it and no dragon would come within 10 kilometers of the place…"

Hermione chewed her lip, she honestly hadn't known that little tidbit of information, which only reinforced her belief that one could never really read or know too much. "Will Harry be sick long? How toxic is it? Should we take him to the nurse?"

Hagrid shook his head, "It just makes 'em sick, he won't die. I heard that you can even force a hatchling to eat some if he has eaten something really poisonous and it will make him throw it up."

"Good to know," Harry groaned out as he rolled onto his back a few feet away from his mess and looked up at the stars that seemed to be spinning in dark sky above him. "Because I honestly thought I was dying there for a minute."

"I'm so sorry Harry," Hermione whispered again, "I'll try harder on the next one…look for more exotic spells…since Fireblight is in almost all spells involving morphing and changing of the anatomy."

Harry looked at her and he wanted to go to her, to comfort her. Too bad he smelled and looked disgusting… "Hagrid can you go get me that plate of meat and uh…take Hermione inside for a bit?"

Hagrid nodded and went to fetch the plate.

"You are…hungry?" Hermione asked in surprise.

He nodded, "Starved but not the same angry hungry I was earlier, now I'm just 'throw something in my stomach so I won't dry heave anymore' hungry."

She sighed, "It's good that you still have your warped sense of humor, it makes me feel like you are still alive and kicking."

Harry mumbled a 'yeah' as he took the plate from Hagrid and waited for Hermione and the giant to leave him.

HERMIONE'S POV:

Everything had been silent for a while outside. Hermione listened, almost holding her breath, while Hagrid talked of all the interesting plants that some animals just didn't like. She hadn't heard a single noise from Harry for at least thirty minutes.

The door opened and her heart slammed into her chest in surprise. Her mouth fell open when she realized he was wet and still dripping. She watched him walk over to the fire and attempt to clean his glasses on his wet robes.

"Go for a swim, Harry?" Hagrid asked with a chuckle, "I've heard dragons actually enjoy swimming."

Harry had enjoyed it, oddly enough, and he found himself swimming more like a snake weaving back and forth using its tail as a rudder than a man with only hands and feet, but that wasn't the point, "I smelled awful…and I was bloody…so why not?"

Hagrid nodded and Hermione walked over and handed him a clean towel, "Are you ok?"

Harry grunted and peeled off his wet robes and then his shirt, "Ok for a puking dragon or ok for a possessed human?" He sighed grimaced, "Actually, they are about the same on the shit scale. So yeah, I'll be ok."

Hermione watched him wiping his chest and back dry of water, all of his suddenly thick and full muscles coiling and flexing as he moved. God, she was the worst friend in the world! First she poisons him, and now she checks him out while he is still in pain! She smacked herself in the forehead and sat back down at the table. "I'm so sorry…"

He sighed and stood up, "Don't apologize Hermione, I know you were trying. Now can you drag my ass back to my room so I can go into a coma?"

"Oh…yeah," she managed to say and stand up before Harry's shaking limbs gave out and he collapsed on the ground in a heap. "Harry!" she gasped and ran over to him, she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried that he had just passed out.

"Let me carry him back before he wakes," Hagrid offered and picked up his small friend like he was a doll.

"Uhg Hagrid! I screwed up so terribly!" she grumbled and followed Hagrid from the cabin after grabbing Harry's wet clothes.

"It happens," the giant said thoughtfully.

Hermione chewed her lip as she followed him, "I think I should apologize…for earlier. I was a little hard on you."

Hagrid smiled at her over his shoulder, as if she had just turned his day into something wonderful, "I deserved it… and we both know Harry wouldn't have given it to me… still, it's nice to see a genius little witch like yourself mess up now and again. Reminds us that no one is perfect…"

She nodded and followed him the rest of the way to Harry's quarters in silence.

Hagrid laid Harry on his bed with the upmost gentleness, like the young man now possessed with the spirit of a dragon was as fragile as a china doll, and Hermione couldn't help but smile. The giant gave her a nod good night and quietly left them alone.

With a sigh she walked over and started peeling off Harry's wet pants. By the time she had finished struggling with his jeans and socks, the anxiety of undressing her best friend and secret crush in his sleep finally kicked in. She left him in the wet boxers he was wearing and gently pulled the warm blankets over him. She simply couldn't completely strip him.

As quietly as possible she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into a tank top and a pair of shorts to sleep in. She bit her lip as she turned off the light and crossed the room to climb into the bed next to her best friend of so many years. So much had changed in the last few days.

She barely managed to get herself situated on the bed and under the blanket before his strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her up against his chest. She held her breath for a moment before she rolled to face him and relaxed into him with a sigh; after a moment she gathered up enough courage to gently slide an arm around his hips.

She fell asleep humming the same lullaby her mother had sang to her when she was little.

Hermione woke up to the noise of her own groans. She blinked as her mind tried to register what was going on. Somehow she had turned her back to Harry last night and he was now pressed against it. His hand rested on top of her shorts between her closed thighs allowing her to feel the warmth of his fingers through the material, and his mouth was pressed against the back of her neck.

She shivered as his nose brushed against her skin and his breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck.

"Harry?" she whispered, unsure as to whether or not he was awake.

He mumbled against her and nudged his hips forward while pressing his hand harder against her. She couldn't do anything but suck in a breath and fight the urge to rock against him; it had been too long since she had…

She heard him breathe deeply through his nose before groaning and pressing his middle finger harder against her, sliding it up and down her slit over her shorts. Hermione arched against him and clamped her eyes shut as his palm and fingers continued their sensuous torture.

He was hard and pressed against her ass, rocking his hips in time with the sliding of his finger, and making deep rumbling noises against her hair.

Hermione bit her lip to keep from crying out as his fingertip pressed against her in just the right spot and she shattered against him; only a whimper escaped from her lips as her eyes clenched shut in pleasure. She shuddered though the aftershocks and tried to slow her breathing, only to give up and pant out the rest of her ecstasy.

Gradually she became aware of the fact that Harry had become stiff behind her…and not just in the groin region. Slowly she turned in his arms and looked up at his face and into his open eyes.

"Oh shit," he murmured eyes wider than Ronald's were when he'd met Aragog for the first time. "Oh my God, are you ok? Did I hurt you?" He asked quickly as he sat up and searched her body with his eyes, trying to locate any signs of abuse.

Hermione's cheeks were going to be red for the rest of her life, "I'm fine Harry, you didn't hurt me so much as surprise me. It's ok."

HARRY'S POV:

Harry stood up quickly and started to pace the room. He had touched Hermione…without her permission…in her sleep. She may someday forgive him for it but he would never forgive himself. He wanted to storm out of the room and get as far away from her as possible so that she would be safe…but the scent of her release held him there. "This is anything but ok," he growled. Even the dragon was upset by the thought of hurting his mate.

"Harry, stop," she said and caught his arm. "I'm not upset with you. I'm a big girl; I know what can happen when a woman and a man share a bed and I took the risk. Don't you dare blame yourself."

Harry snorted, "Why wouldn't I? This shit isn't going to get better Hermione; you need to leave before you get seriously hurt. What if I end up raping you in your sleep?"

Hermione blinked, "I'm not leaving Harry. If you want me to, I'll sleep in another room but I'm not leaving. I told you I would find a cure and I will. Don't push me away when you need help the most." She caught his arm to make him stop his worried pacing, "And you would never rape me, Harry. You'd never hurt me in any way… you even said it when I first showed up in your classroom. You said 'I was so worried I would hurt you but now I know'." She looked earnestly up at him, "You knew you wouldn't hurt me, even with the dragon inside you."

He sighed and looked over his shoulder at her; her curly hair was tousled from her pillow, her tiny shorts riding high on her thighs, and that tight pink tank top clinging to her torso like a second skin. She looked beautiful. He was ashamed of what he had done but already he felt like doing it again. He barely restrained the urge to bring his hand up to his nose to get a better dose of her scent.

"You aren't safe here," he said softly, finally meeting her eyes. She was right about him realizing he wouldn't hurt her…but what she didn't know was that he had also realized at the same time that he wouldn't be able to let her walk away from him without staking his claim-without making her his. Which was a whole new danger unto itself, he thought.

Hermione gave him an admonishing smile, "I think I am the only one who actually is safe with you Harry. You don't have any other female friends, other than the student you were sniffing the other day of course."

He sighed; she wasn't safe because she was female, she was safe because she was Hermione. Clare would have already been raped by now, well, she probably would have willingly participated. "The student is only a student, nothing more."

"It didn't look like she felt that way," Hermione offered, glad she had distracted him from his own self hatred while at the same time pulling the answers that she needed from him.

He shrugged, "It takes two people to have an affair Hermione." Between his irritation at himself and Hermione's very distracting presence he was having trouble focusing on the conversation.

Didn't she know it. "I want to apologize for yesterday at the library, I knew you were upset but I kept pushing. One of the books I was reading had touched on a male dragon's aggression and territorial behavior and I needed to know how much control you had. I shouldn't have let it go so far."

Harry watched her for a moment, not upset with her in the least. In fact, he was feeling a little elated. "Are you telling me you made up that shit about Stuart being your boyfriend? About the cuddling and the kissing?"

She blushed again, "Yes. We have only gone on two dates but I know that he isn't right for me." Hermione bit her lip and tried to study Harry's expression. He looked fiercely happy, purely masculine and smug. She wanted to punch him in the stomach so his puffed out chest would deflate.

Harry smiled, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Oh, I'm not hungry yet," Hermione said as she got up and started to dig through her travel bag.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he prompted again, smile never faltering.

She sighed, "You go eat your dragon stuff and I will meet you in the Great Hall in an hour after I shower and get ready. Then we can share a little breakfast." She stood up, having found the clothes she wanted to wear under her robes, and looked at him. He didn't like her plan; it was written all over his face. But the longer she watched him the more she realized that he was becoming less and less irritated and more shocked, or perhaps scared. "What is it?"

"I don't feel right leaving you," he said. He fisted a hand through his hair, "Never mind. I'll meet you in the Hall in an hour."

He was out the door before she could argue with him. His behavior was confusing; didn't territorial dragons ever leave their females? How in the world did they keep track of all of them? She had had the impression that the whole coming into adulthood thing meant they would chase after anything with a pair of legs. She sighed, grabbed a towel, and headed for the bathroom while thinking about the way she had woken up this morning.

Harry growled to himself as he walked into Hagrid's house; today was shit, but on the upside Hagrid's whole house smelled like warm bloody meat.

"Good morning Harry," the half giant said. "Fang and I went hunting today and found you a large buck."

The idea of biting into a deer simultaneously made his stomach growl uproariously and his gag reflex give a jump. His stomach won the battle and roared loudly, making Harry's more human side want to blush. Bloody dead animals? Yum. See? Perfectly normal human behavior.

Hagrid smiled, "There's some meat cut and laid out in the shed. I left some in a tin and put the rest in the freezer."

Harry nodded, "Thanks Hagrid, I'll see you later."

Hagrid nodded and Harry slipped from the room and towards the shed. Upon opening the door, the full scent of the deer wrapped around him. Its blood was fresh and so enticing he felt his saliva glands kick in and he had to work to keep from drooling.

He moved over to the large silver container on the table and opened it. A groan slipped from him before he could stop it. Suddenly he didn't want to eat. He was still starving but something was missing. His mind wandered back to Hermione and he forcefully dragged it back. Damn it. He could handle being away from her for thirty minutes; he was a grown man/dragon thing for Christ's sake! He snorted and tried to convince himself that she was ok and that he could make sure she had eaten as soon as he returned.

Harry took out an inch-thick chunk of the deer's hindquarter; it was still warm and beautiful but it tasted like ashes in his mouth and he had to fight to swallow each bite.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 hot off the press! Hope you guys enjoy. Read and review!

HERMIONE'S POV

Hermione walked into the hall and sat down in the seat she has always sat in at the Gryffindor table. She wondered why people kept looking at her and then blushingly realized that she was the only adult sitting in the student section. She glanced up at the teachers table, where one or two of the teachers were sitting, but decided she would fit in even less up there. She pulled out a book and started to flip through the pages to the adolescent dragon section hoping for more insight into Harry's behavior.

"_Most of trainers and breeders of dragons have already said goodbye to their dragons before the beasts grow fully into adolescence, around their 20__th__ year of life. Though a brave few have kept their dragon, as a lifelong friend, they didn't ever have it easy. We silly beginner trainers thought we had it difficult with the hatchlings…_

_Adolescence, for a dragon, generally lasts from the 20th to the 50th year. It is this period, when they are still becoming used to their large bodies and quickly burgeoning magical abilities that a dragon is at its most destructive. To say nothing of the furniture and buildings they accidentally have destroyed, I have heard of many a trainer that met their demise during these years. Dragons may move their tail and inadvertently kill a trainer, there have actually been two cases of this documented. However, the dragon's dangerous clumsiness is only a drop in the deep bucket of issues they can quickly become. _

_Around 30, a dragon becomes sexually mature and sets out to find a mate. In the wild, this would mean that the young drake would fly vast distances to find other males to stir up fights with and females to woo. For the next 20 years or so, the dragons only prerogative will be to get rid of rival males and court as many females as possible._

Hermione winced. Perhaps she and Harry should go a vacation to…somewhere secluded from basically anyone male or female. Antarctica maybe?

_In captivity, this means that your dragons-both male and female- will become restless. They will be prone to acting aggressively, attempting to prove their dominance, and will try to leave and roam the countryside. If you have made the unwise decision to attempt to raise two dragons at the same time (one trainer did so believing it would make it easier on the dragon not to be alone; he was crushed under their feet during one of their 'play times') then you are particularly at risk during this time. It doesn't matter the sex of the dragon, it will buck under your rules, it will start attacking any other large animals (and maybe small ones) near it, and it will fight with other dragons. It is all too easy to get hurt during one of their minor wrestling sessions. Supplying food during this period is also a problem. They will eat more, more often, and will become interested in hunting for themselves. More than one trainer's dragon had to be euthanized by a wizarding community after it had started hunting and killing livestock. If this behavior is allowed to continue, your dragon may escalate into hunting humans, since muggles are often the easiest prey to locate and kill._

_Still another problem, and perhaps the most important one, is the explosion of power dragons have at this time period. Most dragons are known to possess some sort of magic, some more than others, and it is adolescence when the dragons finally start to use them. This means anytime your dragon thinks of something, it often happens but very much in excess. One trainer experienced a constant rain for three months straight over his home, simply because he had complained about his garden dying from the drought within his dragon's earshot. Needless to say, the garden didn't survive. Another more serious case involved a man mentioning his lack of funds, due to excessive dragon food, and the dragon had responded by giving him gold; an entire house full of it. The man was crushed under its weight. In both these cases the dragon had good intentions but it's power floods ended up causing chaos…_

Hermione jerked her head out of her book when someone flopped down across the table from her.

The girl from Harry's little rendezvous a few days ago looked at Hermione closely, "Is Harry ok?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow and fought not to frown, "You mean Mr. Potter?" Of course she did, but this student didn't need to be calling Harry by his first name.

The girl rolled her eyes, "He told me it was 'just Harry.' So is he ok? In the room the other day…his eyes went all red and then the next day he wasn't there at all. Is there anything I can do?"

Why was a student offering aid so completely offensive to Hermione? She chose not to analyze it, "He is having some problems but he is ok. As for your help, I'll tell him you asked but there isn't much anyone can do right now, though it was nice of you to offer."

She didn't look convinced, "Is he in his office?"

Hermione blinked. The little girl wanted to go find Harry alone in his office? That little prepubescent skank! "No," was all she said.

A loud sigh from the girl, "Why don't you like me?"

"I'm not sure what you are talking about, uh, Miss. I don't have any problem with you," Hermione was proud of herself for managing to give the girl a faked smile that could probably pass for real.

"My name is-"

"Clare," Harry finished for her as he sat down next to Hermione.

Clare turned all her attention to the stunning man sitting across from her, "Harry! Are you ok? Why didn't you teach yesterday? There are some rumors about a potion gone wrong…"

Hermione blinked, how had the girl neglected to mention that when she had spoken to her? She looked over to watch Harry and blushed in surprise and embarrassment when she found him looking at her.

He looked away first, "I'm not going to comment on that, but yeah, I'm ok. Hermione is taking care of me for the time being and keeping me out of trouble."

He punctuated the sentence with one of those crooked smiles that had always made Hermione want to swoon. It must have had a similar effect on the student because the girl's cheeks flushed and she looked away from Harry's gaze for a moment. Hermione wanted to growl at the girl's obvious flirting; clearly Harry's uncivilized attitude was beginning to rub off on her because she was not feeling at all like her usual tolerant and rational self.

"How was class yesterday?" Harry said to fill the void of silence that Hermione refused to fill for him.

Clare frowned, "Boring, they had some other teacher fill in and all he did was talk about the plants that are used for a lot of the dark wizardry."

Hermione grinned, "Mr. Longbottom, I presume?"

Clare nodded and Hermione and Harry shared a smirk.

"Neville is actually quite nice once you get to know him," Hermione smiled.

"I'm sure…" Clare trailed off as Harry got up and dragged a dish of Hermione's favorite walnut pancakes over before he loaded up a plate for her.

Hermione blushed and frowned at him, "I can do that you know."

He shrugged, "You hadn't yet; so I helped. Eat." He made himself a plate but only looked at it quietly until Hermione started to eat.

She chewed her waffle thoughtfully and watched Harry eat his plate of food like he was starving. Another girl came to sit next to Clare and Hermione gathered that her name was Bridget from the greetings.

"Harry! Where were you!" Bridget squealed.

Harry winced and fought not to cover his ears. "I was detained elsewhere but I will be back soon; perhaps with a teacher's assistant."

Both the girls glanced at Hermione, while she looked at Harry and he looked only at his plate.

"Mrs. Granger?" Bridget asked.

"Ms." Harry and Hermione replied rapidly and in unison, then shared an awkward glance before Hermione focused back on her food.

Bridget smiled, "You mean you haven't married yet? How old are you?"

Hermione frowned, "I'm 22. That's a perfectly ok age to be single in; too young to be married, in fact."

"I hope to be happily married to some powerful and charming wizard by the time I'm twenty two," Clare said in a wistful voice. "Perhaps someone like Harry…he's amazing."

Bridget nodded her assent.

Hermione nearly choked on her waffles; had so much changed since she was in school that girls were now this open about their feelings? As soon as she could breathe again she narrowed her eyes on the girl, "Don't you think it's a little inappropriate to talk that way about your professor?"

Bridget immediately looked away guiltily but Clare met Hermione's gazed unabashedly. "How could that possibly be inappropriate? I didn't say that I wanted to kiss him or touch him, or have sex with him…" At that the little harlot glanced at Harry under her lashes, "Besides, it's not like he is married or even dating someone. Unless you're interested in him?"

Hermione barely resisted the urge to pull out her wand and transfigure the girl into a goat…on the other hand, maybe she would just use the pepper-breath hex and force the girl to go find some other means of occupying her big mouth.

"That's enough Clare," Harry said in a slightly disapproving tone before shooting Hermione a covert glance to see if she was about to blow a gasket.

Hermione refused to give the girl a reaction that would make herself look like the immature one. To Harry she said, "Things are a little different then when we were in school huh? Then again, I never had a cute young professor like you to make a fool of myself over." She hid a smirk when Clare's eyes narrowed.

Harry nodded his agreement and Hermione _almost_ felt bad for the girl; Harry was always a little oblivious when it came to girls and feelings, he probably had no idea how much his agreeing with Hermione would hurt the teenagers pride…

A couple of boys joined them then, one sitting on the unoccupied side of Hermione and two sitting down next to each other on the unoccupied side of Bridget. They were joking about their substitute so Hermione could only assume that they were in Harry's class. She glanced at him and easily saw the difference their presence had made on him; his body was tense and he was forcing himself to keep his eyes on his plate to keep the students from realizing that something was wrong.

"What type of crepe is that?" Hermione asked in an attempt to diffuse the tension in the air.

Her friend blinked in confusion for a moment before blinking at his plate, "Oh, it's just blueberries, chocolate chips, and whipped cream." His eyes glanced past her to the boy sitting on the other side of her. "Would you like to try it?"

The boy was jovially chatting with his friends and Hermione knew he had only sat beside her to be better able to talk to the other boys across the table without having to lean over anyone, like he would if he had sat on the same side as them. Clearly Harry felt threatened though because even when he tried to make his tone light it came out in almost a growl.

She smiled at him, hoping to distract him from being territorial, "I doubt it can beat nutella and bananas, but sure." Instead of using her own fork to steal a bite off his plate she opened her mouth and waited for him to give it to her. So what if she was flirting with Harry just to get the little hussy to back off? It was her right as his best friend! And it would also have the added benefit of making him feel more secure with the boys near her. Bam! Two birds, meet one Hermione.

Her heart skipped a beat though when she saw his pupils dilate as his gaze moved to rest on her open mouth. She nervously started to close it but he was quick to cut a bite sized piece away from his desert and bring it to her mouth.

Hesitantly she parted her lips again and let him delicately place the morsel into her mouth. She closed her lips around the fork and he slowly pulled it away from her, all the while watching her mouth with his jaw clenched and his pupils nearly blown.

Hermione could barely focus on the food in her mouth when he looked at her like that. She swallowed sooner than she should have but she couldn't help it; she couldn't sit and chew in front of him for hours like some cow! She felt a bit of cream escape her mouth to slide down onto her bottom lip. Without thinking she started to lick her lip in embarrassment at being messy but before she could even slide her tongue forward one of Harry's strong hands had caught her by the hair.

She sucked back a gasp of surprise, hoping the students weren't paying their inappropriate behavior any attention but unable to move a muscle to stop him. His fist was clenched tight enough in her hair that she could feel little pinpricks of pain along her scalp without even trying to pull away from him. "Harry?" she whispered, "the…students?"

With eyes that had shifted almost completely from white to red and pupils that had become elongated to black slits rather than their usual rounded green, he studied her. Slowly he leaned in and her heart leapt into her throat, surely he didn't intend to…?

Hermione saw his lips part and put a hand to his chest, "Harry!" She tried to turn to glance at the students only to cry out softly as he tightened his already tight hold on her hair. Still, she noticed that the students all seemed to have stopped moving and the only noise in the room was now coming from the two of them.

"Keep your eyes on me," he snarled.

As if she could keep them off of him. Her breaths were coming faster and she had no choice but to part her lips to be able to get a sufficient amount of oxygen…God he was going to make her faint. Her ring was happily humming on her finger though.

He leaned forward again, this time without any slow hesitation, and ran his tongue over her bottom lip. The cream didn't stand a chance; it was completely gone with one swipe.

She expected him to pull back, to release the world from the frozen state he had somehow wordlessly put it in…she expected wrong.

"Open your mouth," he commanded.

"Harry-"

He silenced her by locking his lips over her own; between his hand and his mouth she couldn't move an inch to escape him…not that she wanted to. She moaned into him and he made a purring sound of approval that had her squirming harder in her seat.

For the first time in their lives Hermione simply gave in to what Harry was asking of her, no fuss, no fight. Whether it was wrong or right when he turned to face her fully, added his other hand to her soft curls, and loosened his original hold…she parted her lips fully for him. His tongue was immediately sweeping into her mouth and she moaned at the sweet taste of cream that still clung to him.

His strong hands guided her head to tilt further to the side and she let him guide her without a struggle, she was rewarded when he deepened the kiss further and tangled his tongue with her own. Hmmm…long had she wanted this from him?

He pulled away, panting just as she was, but she also noticed a fine sheen of sweat along his temples…and how his hair near the front of his ear had darkened with perspiration.

Worry quickly chased away the happily dazed feeling that his kiss had left her with, "Are you ok?" She lifted a hand and pressed it to his cheek.

He quickly turned to kiss the appendage, "Going to have to let go of the others."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

He nudged her back into her seat, making her realize that she had all but climbed into his lap during their snogging, and straightened first her robes and then his.

Suddenly the noise of dozens of students talking and laughing had filled up the Great Hall again and Hermione had only the tingling sensation in her lips as proof that anything had happened. She glanced over and found Clare's eyes had widened, so the girl must realize that something had happened but everyone else was oblivious.

Hermione couldn't deny she was both impressed and scared at the level of power Harry had just exhibited. She leaned closer to him and made sure her voice was low, "Are you ok? It must have taken a lot of magic to freeze time in room this large full of students…and won't they be late for class?"

He didn't look up from his plate, "They won't be late."

Ever so gently she touched his shoulder to get his attention, when he turned to her she was pleased to note that his eyes were almost back to normal…though something was off about the way he was acting.

She considered him for a moment before her eyes widened in shock, "Harry Potter, how far out did you stop time?"

He sighed, "All of Hogwarts and Hogsmead for sure…maybe more…"

"More?" she gaped at him.

"Maybe," he said before giving her a tense smile, "if you will excuse me, there's someone I need to speak to."

The girls quickly started talking to the boys now at their table and Hermione was left alone. She chewed her lip and watched Harry walk to the other side of the room where he paused. He was rolling his shoulders and trying to relax but before he could walk back a small boy hesitantly walked up to his side.

Hermione saw Harry's smile turn genuine as he questioned the boy about something and then motioned for him to follow Harry back to the table.

She smiled as the pair stopped in front of her, "Who is your friend, Harry?"

Harry grinned, "This is Stanley. Stanley, this is Hermione. She is the one I told you about."

Hermione watched the boys face light up as he suddenly looked at her with nothing but adoration. What in the world had Harry been telling the boy?

"It is very nice to meet you," Stanley said softly.

She smiled; Harry's gossiping aside, the boy was adorable. "Are you in one of Harry's classes?" Her breath suddenly left her as the ring on her finger hummed and gave a tug towards the child. He was too old to represent her desire for children in general and yet his pull was stronger than the Weasley children's had been. She almost frowned in confusion but forced herself to focus on the conversation at hand.

Harry's hand was suddenly on her shoulder and she looked up at him. His eyes reflected that he had seen the change come over her and was worried.

Stanley shook his head, "No, we met in the boy's bathroom."

She laughed, "What an interesting place to make friends."

Stanley blushed, "I should get to class."

"Have a good day," Harry offered and gave the boy's ear a teasing tug. "Come find me, if you need _anything_. Hermione or I can even help you study if you are having trouble with one of your classes, she got the best grade in the entire school when we attended Hogwarts."

The boy nodded, "Ok." He looked back at her with cheeks still pink, "I'm glad I got to meet you."

She smiled and was about reply when the boy turned, slipped through a pair of students, and then disappeared out the door.

"What did you tell him?" she asked.

"What happened to you?" he ignored her.

She snorted at him, "Let's walk to the library while you tell me about what all you have gossiped to Stanley about."

They walked through the hallway as kids moved en masse around them in various directions.

"I had forgotten what a pain it was fighting the crowd to get to my classes," she said softly. Harry's hand suddenly was around her waist and he was pulling her back against him. Hermione blushed and two boys flew past them; had she not been moved, there would have been a collision.

Harry nodded and let her go, "Yeah, Ron and I just sort of went with the flow and hoped it headed to the right class… We were late a lot."

"That I do remember," she laughed as they slipped into the quiet library. Once they had walked to the far corner, her favorite place to camp out, she turned to face him. "I have some questions for you."

Harry nodded and sat down, his body automatically sprawling out to relax with one of his arms resting on the back of the couch and his legs bent at the knee and spread in that sexy slouch that boys tend to do.

She blinked and looked down at him from where she was still standing, "I thought you didn't like sitting down while other people were standing over you."

He shrugged, "You're different. Was that your question?"

"Questions," she corrected, "and no, it wasn't." She sat down sideways on the couch next to him so that she was facing him with her knees tucked under her. "Are you having magical control issues?"

He hesitated a moment before nodding.

She frowned, "Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't see how it mattered…I just stopped using it," he said, eyes following her.

She got the sense that even though he appeared very relaxed, Harry was still the predator in the room and he was still tense and ready to pounce. She fought not to shiver, "Until today obviously. Now, are you feeling like you need to leave? You know, move around?"

He raised an eyebrow, "No. How does that relate to dragons?"

"They get antsy when they go through puberty," she offered with a grin.

Harry snorted, "This is hardly puberty Hermione." His feelings felt too big for puberty, too deep.

She smiled, "Dragons hit puberty between 20 and 50, so technically it might indeed be puberty. Nonetheless, how are you feeling towards males in general? Still just uncomfortable or more aggressive?"

Harry suddenly seemed interested in looking out the window.

"Just answer. We need all the facts so I can figure out how to fix this," she tried to sound comforting.

"It's like sandpaper against my skin and I just can't take it long without shoving back," he said without looking at her.

She gave him a sad smile, "Even the younger and smaller male students?"

He nodded.

"What about the Stanley boy?" she asked.

Harry shrugged, "He is different."

"How?"

He looked at a loss for words for a moment, "He…belongs to me."

She wasn't sure she liked how that sounded but she had seen how Harry had acted around the boy, so she felt ok dismissing the boy as safe. "Ok…and the girls?" She noticed his jaw clench.

"Do we really have to go there?" he growled.

"Just for a second," her voice was soft and she tried to let her tone show him that this question was more important than just research.

He shrugged, "They all smell good but there aren't any intense impulses like with the males."

She wet her lips, "The book said that male dragons your age wanted to uh…do…everyone."

Harry growled, "I don't want to fuck every girl I see, if that's what you're asking."

"Don't be crude," she said while digging through the books in her shoulder bag to distract her from the heat in her cheeks.

"It's what you wanted to know, isn't it?" he said, watching her intensely. "Whether or not I can control myself around innocent teenagers?"

Hermione sighed; Harry's feathers were suddenly very easy to ruffle. "I want to know everything, not just that. No one has gone through this before, so of course I'm curious about which things you will actually have in common with real dragons."

"So this is about your obsession with knowing everything?" his expression darkened further.

Ok, his words were starting to sting a little. "It's not an obsession."

"It means more to you than anything else doesn't it? That's what an obsession is."

She took a deep breath to try to hold back the hurt, "No, there are more important things than knowing everything."

"Like what?"

Hermione shrugged and avoided looking at him, "Like my friends and family."

"Like Stuart?" he growled and narrowed his eyes.

She blinked, "What has gotten into you? I already told you I don't care for Stuart."

He stilled and took a deep breath before sinking deeper into the couch and closing his eyes firmly, "I don't know."

"Harry…I'm sorry you are going through all of this but I think that out of everyone it could have happened to you are the strongest and best suited to survive it," she sat back onto the couch with her book.

"I'm tired of surviving. I want to live and be happy…and normal."

She had wished that for him for a long time; Harry had had to bear a much heavier load than most people twice his age and it didn't seem to be lightening. "I know." She scooted over so that she was perched tensely next to him on the couch.

Harry sighed deeply and let one of the arms that he had had resting on the back of the couch move so that it was around her shoulders and used it to pull her closer against him, "I need you to touch me."

Hermione's cheeks seemed to get even hotter and the butterflies in her stomach where suddenly fluttering around in excitement and panic, "Oh…ok." She glanced at him through the corner of her eye and saw that his cheeks were pink too; she felt a little better. "I don't mind."

Harry nodded and turned his head away to look out the window but his arm didn't leave her shoulders.

She sighed, wiggled a bit until she was comfortably nestled against him and settled down to read.

An hour had passed before she looked up again and when she saw how much time had passed was surprised that Harry had yet to move. She glanced up at him and found him tilting his head to the side with his eyes shut.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a smile.

He blinked and straightened up, "The choir is practicing a few rooms down."

Hermione smiled, "And you can hear them?"

"Perfectly."

"That's amazing," she grinned, "what else can you hear?"

"Your heartbeat," his eyes met hers. "It's getting faster."

She blushed, "Because you brought attention to it and made it nervous! What else?"

"Two girls in the hall arguing about a guy…some boy on the other side of the room is whispering to his girlfriend that she looks adorable when she reads and twirls her hair in her hand…the librarian is grumbling to herself about the couple."

Hermione giggled, "That is so neat! What can you smell?"

"You," he mumbled.

She blinked, "Me?"

He smiled, "Your shampoo, your toothpaste, your books, and some sort of fruity lip gloss."

She laughed, "The label says passion fruit but I think it just smells like cherries. What about other things?"

He looked away then, "Whenever you're around…you are the only thing I can smell. If Hagrid could walk up behind me completely silent with a plate of meat I probably wouldn't know he was there as long as you are this close."

"Really?" she asked, her heart started to pound a little harder.

He nodded.

"Is that…bad?"

"No," he smiled, "You smell good."

Hermione's racing heart skipped a beat. God, Harry made her feel like a sixteen year old girl again. "Oh…that's good."

He nodded and then after long moment of silence changed the subject, "So are you learning anything?"

She blinked at him in confusion for a second before he motioned his head towards her book. "Oh! Yes, I'm learning a lot but it seems to be more fascinating than helpful. It might be better if you did some of the reading too; you could learn a little more about your new instincts and reactions."

"That sounds like a blast," he mumbled and snuggled down into the couch with his eyes shut, "Wake me when you are ready to leave."

Hermione gave him a smile even though he couldn't see it and went back to reading her book. She turned the page to start the next chapter and blinked at the title:

_A Pair Mated for Eternity…_

A shiver of crawled across her body but she decided it best not to look into it, Harry's thumb started to rub gently back and forth on her neck just under the collar of her shirt and for a moment she forgot to breathe, much less do any reading. Minutes passed before she could focus on something other than his possessive touch and the goose bumps it was giving her.

_After the adolescent stage your dragon will begin to calm. The small number of trainers who attempted to raise their beasts through its teenage years dwindles even further as they become adults. The beasts can still be aggressive and quick to strike but the frequency of the outbursts has dwindled to a lower and more manageable number. Just like an old dog is generally calm but will still growl or snap when it is pushed too far, so will a dragon be. I know of only two men who have ever raised a dragon to this point, one of which had died from natural causes before I had started doing my investigations for this book and whose dragon ended up returning back to the wild, and the other who assures me that the only reason his beast chose to stay was because they lived in such a remote area and there were no dragons in the surrounding vicinity. _

_The reason most dragons end up flying the coop? They wish to settle with a mate. I've been told by a man who has spent his life in the field studying wild dragons that the beasts are naturally inclined to find a single lifelong mate after the mayhem that is their pubescence. Male dragons will travel great distances to find a roosting female and attempt to win her and then keep hold of her. This means that even once a male dragon has settled and found its mate it will still have to deal with regular battles with males encroaching on its territory. _

_The man has also shared with me many details about the phenomena that is dragon mating. Whereas previously we had decided them to be cold predatory creatures we now begin to see a much softer side. Males roam the lands hunting and returning with food to the nest to give to its pregnant mate; he will not eat until she has been satiated. This means he is on the hunt often, having to feed both himself and his mate, and that he will be the first to go hungry in times when food is scarce. These huge males that won't hesitate to become violent with others are often nothing but big 'puppies' where there mates are concerned-that's Mr. Thomas's euphemism not mine- though it is quite clear to anyone observing that the two dragons live for each other. I accompanied Thomas into the mountains one day and we watched from a high perch as an enormous male Chinese Fireball brought a deer to its mate and lay patiently by her side while she ate, content to nuzzle her side occasionally and watch her. Not a week later the pair hatched a trio of dragon young and I watched in wonder as the male lay amid the pile and let the playful little beasts scamper all over him while the mother groomed another. The family climate was impressive to witness but even more impressive was the battle I witnessed later that day when a stray male flew over head. The family was in the cave in seconds and the father was in the air charging at the offender even quicker. Thomas's eyes glittered with excitement as we watched the two clash in the air with talons flying and wings fanning out behind them; it was quite easy to see the allure of living a life like this man. Blood was splattered across both opponents and the rogues wing was snapped by the time the battle was done, forcing the rogue to flee on foot. I watched the male stand regally on a rock and watch the rogue until it was long out of sight, then he softly called out to his family and they returned from the cave to lick at his wounds and climb atop him again. _

_I was impressed to say the least. Like the lions in Africa these males were fierce in the defense of their families, but unlike the lions these males seemed to tolerate endless hours of play and harassment from their hatchlings without once giving the youngsters a growl of irritation or a swat from their claws. Thomas told me of another day when he had watched the family (they were a favorite of his) and a female dragon had come into their territory. This is a rare occurrence since females tend to set up a roost early but it's not unheard of. The female had attempted to entice the male when he had charged her in the air and he had batted her away. This rogue female was treated no nicer than the rogue male; apparently any dragon that partners with another that already has young often ends up ridding their partner of the baggage. Thus no matter the sex, a rogue is a rogue is a threat._

_Once a pair is mated they are inseparable for any extended period of time; females are even known to go out looking for their partners if the male doesn't return after he has been gone for a good while. Battles are fought against any threat by either mate when the other is threatened and this more than anything has proved to me their close bonds. In no other species I can name (except perhaps wolves-though I'm not sure) does a female join a fight if her mate is any sort of danger of losing or being wounded beyond repair. Generally in the animal kingdom males fight for dominance and territory and the female leaves with the winner; this is not the case with dragon pairs. Not only is this a moving notion but also a very beneficial system for the hatchlings, most of which would die if the father fell in battle. _

_A mated pair will spend hundreds of years together if all goes well; Thomas even said that in all his years of observing dragons and traveling across the globe to view the different species, he has never once seen a mated dragon willingly leave its partner. If only people had such devotion._

Hermione took a deep breath, unsure of what to think or do. Was Harry showing any other signs of being mated? She chewed her bottom lip; he had said he wasn't moved to chase any other females…he had said he could only smell her when she was near… Could she be imagining all this? Could her own desire to be in his arms be clouding her judgment?

Was there any way she could find an answer to these questions without looking like an idiot and revealing more than she wanted him to know?

She slowly turned to look over her shoulder and froze when she found Harry watching her.

"Why are you awake?" she asked breathlessly.

"Because your heart started to pound," he said smoothly. "Is the book giving me more bad news to look forward to?"

She shook her head, "No…I don't think so. Harry, what would you do if I stopped eating before you did?"

He blinked, clearly a little thrown off by the question, "Uh. I don't know."

"Would you still eat?" she asked

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and then he shook his head, "No."

"Do you know why?" Was she sure she wanted to know?

"I just can't Hermione. The idea alone makes my chest hurt. It's just like that damned potion; my entire being is telling me that it's wrong," she could see the tired look in his eyes and the nagging worry that he always seemed to carry on his shoulders now.

She nodded, "Ok, I'm sorry; I just needed to know."

He sighed, "I'm starving. Let's eat and then take the broom out for a spin."

Hermione looked doubtful as she started to pack her bag, "We can eat but I'm not great at riding brooms, if you recall."

"You will ride with me," his tone said that she should have already known as much.

She grumbled but nodded. When she had all her things organized she looked up from where she was sitting to find Harry stretching above her. Muscles she had become more and more aware of in the last few years seemed even more impressive as every inch of him flexed and then fell back into place. She could easily imagine a dragon making the same moves with its wings fanned out behind it after it woke up from a long sleep. So much beauty from such a dangerous beast.

He held out a hand to her and she took it and tried to ignore the warm feeling in her stomach that always seemed to surface when he touched her.

"Tell me what all happened, when you drank Hagrid's potion," she said as she followed closely behind him and down the halls.

"It hurt," he mumbled. "It was like I was on fire and every one of my bones were breaking. My skin couldn't decide if it wanted to stay human or turn into silver dragon scales and it kept flipping back and forth. Then, when the burning stopped, the senses hit me. The noises were so loud my ears bled, the scents were so intense I thought I was going to puke, and everything seemed to be made of brighter colors and in sharper focus; my eyes wouldn't stop watering."

She ached for him, "I'm sorry you had to deal with this Harry."


	6. Chapter 6

Harry's POV:

Harry looked down at the tiny girl at his side and felt another wave of protectiveness wash over him. She was too fragile, too tender, and too loving to be living in this world alone. She was the one in danger of being hurt but the only thing she was worried about was his happiness. He wanted to follow this woman around for the rest of her life and protect her from the all evil in the world. He wanted to hold her so she wouldn't ever be cold or lonely. He wanted…too much.

He led the way into Hagrid's house and pulled her in after him only when he was sure there was no danger. He was worried sick over her safety already; God only knew how he would act when she was carrying his young. Harry froze mid step at the thought and Hermione ran into his back with an 'oof'. The idea of Hermione's smooth belly swelling with his baby was troublingly appealing.

She raised an eyebrow at him and then went to the small little kitchen area and made herself a small dry sandwich.

"How are ya feelin' Harry?" Hagrid said from his table.

Harry watched her eat the sandwich, "About the same as yesterday."

Hagrid nodded, "I heard tale of a wild dragon being up for sale on the dark market today."

Hermione whirled to face the giant, "A full grown dragon?"

The man smiled at her enthusiasm, "More of a teenager really. Heard it was stirring up quite a ruckus; it being so hard to control."

"Why would anyone want a wild dragon? They are too dangerous to have as any sort of a pet," she said and sat down at the table next to Hagrid, the forgotten sandwich in her hands resting in her lap.

Hagrid shrugged, "Dragon meat and organs are sold for all sorts of foods and potions, dragon magic is very powerful if you can harness it, oh, and wild dragons are excellent guardians for treasures and gates you don't want anyone going into."

Harry ignored the faint scent of blood that was calling to him from the shed and tried to focus on the conversation.

Hermione stared, "That's terrible. Is there anything we can do?" She was probably worried about the dragon being mistreated like the one at Gringott's had been; his mate was always looking for someone else to save. Harry couldn't harness the urge fast enough, he had walked over to stand behind where she was sitting at the table and laid a gentle hand onto each of her shoulders.

"Do you have a place to store a wild dragon?" Hagrid asked.

Hermione blinked and glanced up at him before slowly relaxing under his touch, "Well no." Harry rewarded her by kneading her delicate shoulders with his fingers. A soft groan of relaxation escaped her mouth before she could catch it and it pleased something inside him when she blushed.

Hagrid nodded, "Then there isn't much you can do."

She sighed and glanced up at Harry before guiltily starting to eat her sandwich that she had forgotten. Harry watched her while Hagrid told them about the kind of dragon it was and what made it so special; he watched her until almost all the sandwich was gone and then he finally made himself let go of her shoulders.

"Harry, can we go visit it? I'm curious as to how it would act around you." Hermione said, eyes glittering with excitement.

"We can do whatever you want. I'll be right back," he mumbled and tugged his robes off over his head so that he wouldn't get them messy.

Hermione looked like she wanted to say something but shut her mouth a second later and nodded.

He moved quickly to the shed where Hagrid was keeping the meat supply and pulled out his lunch. He was starving but he forced himself to eat slowly, in an almost civilized manner; he didn't want to choke back his food like an animal and he needed to pull himself away from his ma-… from Hermione…for a while.

Sighing heavily he shut the shed door after finishing his food. Thanks to his mildly slow eating he had managed to lessen the amount of blood covering his chest; it was pathetic how proud that made him feel but he now considered every little step towards humanity to be a great achievement.

Harry opened the door to Hagrid's house and found Hermione waiting at the table next his clothes, a bowl of warm water, and a towel. She smiled at him and, like the sap he was, he melted.

Hagrid greeted Harry and then went back to the story he had been telling Hermione about some baby dragon he had once gotten to take care of for a while. Harry moved to the far end of the table and started to quickly and awkwardly wash off his chest and arms while his friends talked. He glanced up from his body and found Hermione's gaze on him. She was almost glassy eyed but as soon as she realized he had caught her she blushed brightly and looked back at Hagrid. He loved that glazed over look she got whenever her constantly active mind was slowed to nearly a complete stop because of something he had done; she had looked that way after he had kissed his this morning…she'd looked that way after she had woken up to his fingers making her come…

Harry couldn't deny the flair of masculine pride he felt, nor could he resist slowing down his movements and making the rub of the towel against his skin almost sensual. He felt her eyes on him again and he forced himself not to look up and to slide the rag slowly down his stomach. He heard her sharp intake of breath and was almost thankful he had been given dragon senses keen enough to hear her. Harry looked up then and again met her eyes, her cheeks were again dusted prettily with pink but she didn't look away. The cocky smirk he had been wearing fell off his face as the scent of heaven slowly enveloped him. He clamped his eyes shut in an attempt to block out Hermione's warm scent but he found himself sucking in deeper breaths of it. He was a man who hadn't breathed in years and was suddenly in an open field with the scents of spring bursting around him. Or was it Mrs. Weasley's peach pies? Or maybe even the warm soft smell of butterbeer. It was like all the delicious smells he had encountered throughout his life all rolled into one.

When he opened his eyes he saw hers widen in shock and maybe horror but that ecstasy-inspiring scent spiked higher. He growled and tightened his grip on the back of the wooden chair in front of him. The wood groaned with him and cracked.

"Should I leave?" Hagrid asked slowly.

Harry watched Hermione, silently willing her to answer the giant because he couldn't. He wouldn't.

"I…ah…don't know," she said breathlessly.

Hagrid nodded but waited for further instructions.

"Either run or stay," Harry's voice came out gravely as he watched her.

"Harry…I…"

"Decide now 'Mione, I'm not going to stand here much longer," he growled already taking a step in her direction.

Hermione's eyes widened even further and she wet her lips with her tongue; that was enough answer for him.

"Go," he said in Hagrid's direction as he crossed the table and lifted Hermione up with an arm around her back and one under her bent knees. Hagrid shut the door just as Harry gently laid her down on the couch. She gaped at him as he gently tugged off her robe and tossed it to the ground.

"I don't know…" she whispered only to make soft needy noise when he sank down on top of her and started kissing her neck. "Harry," she wrapped her arms around his head and cradled it against her chest as he kissed and nibbled her tender skin with the clawing desperation that had been digging at him since the first time she had walked into his classroom. Something about her neck…his jaws were literally aching to close on her smooth skin there.

One of his hands slid around her thigh and lifted her leg up to wrap around his hips. His mate moaned under him as he pressed himself heavily against her and gave her neck a stinging bite. He felt her clench her thighs around his hips and he was helpless to do anything but growl and thrust harder against her.

Her sharp little nails were pinpricks of pain on his shoulders and he shivered in ecstasy. Then her hands were moving, sliding down under his chin and forcing his head up. She kissed him as soon as his lips were close enough and Harry groaned into her mouth; had he ever felt this good? Could he ever feel better? Her teeth nibbled on his bottom lip and Harry stopped thinking.

Hermione found herself whimpering as Harry's tongue teased its way between her lips for the second time today and he grabbed the front of her shirt before ripping it down the center. He pulled his lips away from her so he could look down at her creamy skin. His reddened eyes locked on hers for second before he reached for her…and gently ripped her bra open. Then his eyes were back down again, focusing on her body like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He made her stomach clench in happiness with that look.

The mouth she was still frustrated about him pulling away from her was suddenly on her skin. He spread open mouthed kissed down her collar bone and over the top of one of her breasts; she couldn't stop herself from lifting her body in an attempt to meet his mouth. One of Harry's hands came up to squeeze a breast while he tilted his head and greedily latched his mouth onto the nipple of the other. Hermione thrashed under him, simultaneously pushing him away and pulling him closer while she made soft needy noises. The skim of his teeth across such a tender area made her even more desperate.

Harry shut his eyes in pleasure as he caressed Hermione's skin with his tongue and she cradled his head against her, she clung to him like she believed he would ever be foolish enough to consider pulling away. He lifted his head to shift to her other perfect breast and she made a panicked moan at his absence that made a little more of his sanity slip away.

"Please Harry," she whispered and he was helpless against her, she cried out when his lips found her other nipple.

He worshipped her body with his mouth and groaned against her each time her writhing body below him rubbed across his painfully hard dick. He kneaded the breast that wasn't in his mouth and when he gave the nipple a rough pinch; she cried out and wiggled harder, simultaneously rubbing against him with her hip.

"Hermione…" he mumbled to her as his kisses moved back up to her neck and his hands moved down to her pants. She stilled under him as his hand found the waistband of her panties and slid under it. His fingertips brushed across wet heat and she shuddered under him. "Spread wider for me," he whispered into her ear before gently kissing the skin behind it.

Hermione sucked in another deep breath but let her legs relax and fall wider around him. He wasted no time moving his hand further down and rubbing his thumb roughly across her clit before sinking his middle finger in between her folds; she was so wet it slid in easily.

He tilted back enough so that he could watch his mate as he slowly worked another finger inside her.

She couldn't help but blush as her eyes met his and he started to pump his fingers slowly in and out of her, his thumb simultaneously rubbing small circles over her clit. She wanted to fling her head back and arch into that hand but his possessive gaze held her and she shivered at the intimacy of it; both of them looking at the other while his hands worked their magic against her.

Harry felt immensely satisfied as he watched Hermione's eyes begin to glaze and her breaths start to come more and more quickly. If he did nothing else right in his life this would be enough. She bit her lip and he couldn't help but to lean forward and lick that often abused lip. Her hands moved up into his hair and he felt her shudder and spread her thighs still wider; he gave his mate what she wanted and sped up the pace of his fingers.

HERMIONE'S POV

"Harder," she whispered and his responding growl just made her hips move more urgently against his hand.

A loud banging on the door had them both freezing. Hermione looked at Harry and watched a transformation come over him. Minutes ago he had been gentle with her, perhaps a tad too gentle, and attentive but now…his eyes were those of a predator and she could see his nails on one hand growing into little curved points.

The banging again.

"Harry! Get up and out here, quick!" Hagrid's voice said through the door.

Hermione shivered as Harry gently pulled his hand away from her so as to not scratch her with the sharpened tips. His eyes found hers and she realized Harry was not in control at all, it was the dragon that was being so gentle now and the dragon that was looking at her so hungrily. His eyes were on hers as he brought those clawed fingertips up to his mouth and ran his tongue over each of them.

Her body must have somehow given away how much that excited her because he suddenly groaned and leaned forward to kiss her roughly. She could do nothing but whimper as he again took what he wanted and what ashamedly she wanted as well.

The banging picked up again, "McGonagall is coming this way Harry!" Hagrid said urgently.

That got Hermione's attention and she was suddenly wiggling under Harry trying to get up. She pushed on his chest but he just looked her with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Get up!" she hissed, "McGonagall will flay us both alive, not to mention it would be _mortifying!" _ No look of recognition passed but when she finally managed to awkwardly slide out from under him and fall gracelessly on the floor, she definitely saw something.

The pounding seemed to be getting louder and suddenly Harry was growling and walking towards the door. Hermione's eyes widened, "DON'T OPEN THE DOOR HAGRID!" she yelled.

Harry had just about made it to the door when she ran into his back and wrapped her arms around him. The growling paused before he ever so gently pried her arms off him.

"Harry! No, please!" He didn't respond to her words, just kept trying to peel her off him while eyeballing the door. "STOP THAT KNOCKING HAGRID!" she yelled; he was only making it worse! The knocking stopped but Harry didn't.

"Damn it Potter, stop!" she let go of him only long enough to run around him and tackle him from the front. It was really amazing how tender he was being with her while that violent look graced his features. She remembered how she had distracted him in the hallway and climbed up his tall body so she could latch her teeth painfully hard onto his neck. His reaction was instantaneous. The tone of his growl changed and he suddenly moved the rest the way to the door where he slammed her back against it and hauled her legs up around his waist. She squeaked into his neck but didn't release his skin.

He groaned deeply and rocked his hips against her, his hard length pressed between them. "I love it when you bite me," he said huskily into her hair, "one of these days I'm going to return the favor."

Hermione moaned against his neck and found herself relinquishing her mouth's hold on him. He shivered against her but made no other movements. She nervously looked from his already bruising neck to his face and gave in to the urge to snake her tongue up and gently lick the skin she had just abused. He seemed anything but unhappy with her with his eyes clenched shut and his lips parted…

Hagrid knocked quietly on the door and Harry's expression went from a calm almost post-orgasm face back into that angry predator anxious to kill something. He sat her on the floor and she did the only thing that was left for her to do.

Harry stared at her in surprise when she pulled her hand away from his stinging cheek.

"What the fuck Hermione?" he growled, tenderly touching the red skin.

She saw the eyes that she had always loved looking down at her with a glare and she hugged him, "I was so worried you were going to kill Hagrid and Mcgonagall's coming and…and..."

He sighed and petted the top of her head as she burrowed into his chest while mumbling something about being so relieved that he was back. "Hermione, if McGonagall is coming shouldn't you put on some clothes?"

She turned red as she looked up at him with a glare, "You ripped them!"

He smirked, "I ripped you shirt and bra. The robe is fine."

So he had been slightly more in control than she had thought. She nodded, "Face the door."

"Seriously?" he asked as she moved behind him to look for her robe. "After all everything that just happened I'm not allowed to watch you dress?"

Hermione winced. She had won another part of Harry but without the rest of him this was going to do nothing but make things worse. The sex would be great…but it would break her heart that it didn't mean a damn thing to him.

"We aren't dating, Harry. So face the door." She watched his shoulders stiffen but he didn't say anything as he did as she asked.

"Ok, let me take care of your neck, its too obviously a bite mark," she dug her want out of her robes.

"_Episkey_!" she said just as Harry turned around and narrowed his eyes on her.

Hermione blinked, "Why isn't it working?"

"Because I don't want it to," his voice was nearly a growl. "I'm not ashamed of the mark, are you ashamed of giving it to me?"

She was at a loss for words, "No but…but it's inappropriate." Her heart was pounding in her ears at the angry look Harry was giving her, why would he be so offended by want amounted to removing a hickey? Perhaps more importantly, since when could him simply thinking or silently wanting something completely negate a spell performed by another wizard's wand?

Hagrid burst into the house seconds after Hermione had gotten the robe on, "You kids!"

Harry turned his glare to Hagrid and Hermione unable to stop her cheeks from heating with a blush.

McGonagall stepped into the room a second later, her stern gaze taking in everything, "Potter, being unable to teach due to some sort of illness is one thing but doing it so that you may gallivant around campus with Ms. Granger? Quiet inappropriate. Luckily for you, I do not doubt that you have a better reason for it, so what is it?"

Hermione looked between them all and started to speak only to have Harry cut her off.

"I made a potion and it went...wrong. Now I'm having to deal with some strange side effects while Hermione works to try and find another potion to counteract this one," he said calmly.

McGonagall studied him for a moment and then turned to Hermione, "Is that true Ms. Granger? If so, how does the mark on Mr. Potter's neck relate to your potion making?" Her lips had formed that stern line that they always did whenever they had gotten into trouble as students.

Hermione swallowed noisily; she didn't want Hagrid in trouble but she didn't want Harry to suffer for the half giants mistakes. Had Hagrid actually learned his lesson from all this or was it time someone with authority should step in and scare him a bit? She felt terrible for thinking like that but the idea of Hagrid giving that potion to a child…or having killed Harry…she would have never forgiven him. Hermione looked at Harry. His jaw was clenched and he was keeping his eyes steadily on the floor. He wasn't going to force her to lie for them but it was clear he wanted her to. Harry sometimes took this altruistic behavior a little too far for his own good. "Yes ma'am, it's true. I've already made several potions for Harry to try but they each had the same ingredient in them that he now seems to have an allergy to. So I'm still looking. The mark…is a side effect of what the potion has done to Harry."

Minerva nodded and looked back at Harry with her calm eyes reflecting the worry she was feeling, "What have you done Potter, to make this much power seem to radiate from you? I don't believe you would intentionally do a spell to make yourself more powerful, you have learned too much about the dark arts to be so foolish, but I am truly scared of this new magic you carry."

Hermione frowned, "What do you mean? You can feel Harry's power? Or see it?"

The older woman nodded while they both studied Harry, "Yes Miss Granger, I can feel it. It's like a heavy weight pushing down on me while at the same time tickling across the skin with a hum that is almost painful; the more powerful the magic the heavier the weight and the louder the hum. I'm sure Hagrid feels it too. And there are wizards who can see power auras, but I am not one of them."

Hermione looked to the giant.

He nodded, "I can sense it but less so than Minerva. Most witches and wizards can hide their powers from me; I think it is just because he has no idea how to use it or control it that keeps Harry from being able to mask it."

"Why can't I feel it?" Hermione asked with a frown as she looked back at Harry and met his eyes. A blush crept up her cheeks and she looked back at McGonagall.

Minerva actually smiled a bit, "My dear, you have always been very intellectually focused. I think it's your critical thought processes that prevents you from doing a lot of the faith and instinct based forms of magic. Sensing another wizard's power requires you to let go of your thoughts and focus and simply feel and though I think you are a very bright and powerful young witch, I do think this might be a bit beyond you- as it is with other very educated wizards. You possess a personality that has trouble accepting what it feels as truth without some evidence to back it up…it has trouble seeing what it thinks cannot be."

Hermione frowned, it truly bothered her that some people could sense something daily that she had had no clue even existed. "Can you feel it Harry?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "I couldn't before the potion but ever since I've been able to feel more and more. Most of the students have a pretty low level of magical abilities so they make the ability to sense power more like background noise…but when Minerva walked in, or when another powerful wizard is nearby, it makes something inside me….I don't know how to phrase it, sit up and pay attention I guess? I can feel you and Hagrid too…and I can't actually see anything but I can feel how different each of yours power is from the other…and if I shut my eyes I can 'see' different colors and sizes of flames around you. Not actual fire of course but like the shape and movement of flames… " He trailed off as everyone grew quiet and started to stare at him.

Hermione was both perturbed and envious, Hagrid looked amazed, and Minerva looked downright upset.

"You shouldn't be able to sense that much…much less see it Harry," Minerva whispered. "Truly all you have done was taken a potion? What was the potion for?"

Hermione was flooded with worry now and Harry's only reply was to run his fingers through his hair in frustration. He didn't look like he was going to speak up she did for him, "It was a potion to give him the senses of a dragon. It caused him great pain and while it did heighten his senses, it also seems to have affected his psyche. The amount of similarities between his behavior and that of dragons is…a little unsettling. He has controlled it well though." Hermione glanced at Harry to see if he was upset with her for saying so much but he still seemed to be focused on the floor.

Minerva was quiet for a moment, "I guess that explains a bit about the mark…still, dragons are not creatures to be trifled with…Harry I'm going to find a substitute to teach your class until you get this all figured out. I would suggest getting in touch with a man named Willoughby. He's a little eccentric but knows more about dragons than any other I know of."

"His book is the one I've been reading," Hermione couldn't help but smile a bit. "I'd like to have an opportunity to meet him."

"I will contact him with my two way mirror, I'm sure he'd be interested in meeting with you as well," McGonagall said while she continued to study Harry. She frowned as something occurred to her and she produced today's _Daily Prophet_ and held it out to the pair of them.

Hermione took it, since Harry seemed completely uninterested, and felt her mouth fall open. The headline was "Time Alteration in the Muggle World Causes Confusion." Hermione quickly skimmed the article in horror and read bits of it aloud to Harry, "Most of Scotland experienced a time shift today that left both the Muggle and the Wizarding community in a state of confusion. Top wizards from the Ministry of Magic are searching for the source of what caused the time shift and left more than three quarters of Scotland fifteen minutes behind on the clock from the rest of the world…. One authority on time, the keeper of various powerful object like the rare 'Time-Turner' at the Ministry, claims that he's never seen an alteration of time on such a large scale and believes it to be the work of a powerful new group of wizards who have yet to make themselves known…"

"Ms. Granger's reaction tells me that you are probably more involved with this than even I had suspected," McGonagall sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Say nothing of it to anyone, either of you, for the time being. Not even I should know the details in case I am asked to come before the court at the Ministry."

"Do you think it will come to that?" Hermione said in horror.

Minerva shrugged, "I don't know Ms. Granger, I can only hope not…but I doubt anyone at the Ministry will let the matter go without further explanation. I must go get in touch with Willoughby and think on the matter, I'll speak to you both later." She adjusted her hat, "Until then I don't think I need to warn you to avoid using your magic, do I Harry?"

He finally looked up at her and shook his head.

"Very good. You might also want to work on learning how to conceal that power aura of yours…if the wrong wizard feels it you may find yourself in a duel," she said thoughtfully and headed to the door. "Keep him in line Granger and maybe put the physical part of your relationship on hold." She gave them both a worried smile and headed for the door.

The three of them watched in silence as she shut the door behind her.

"Well that went well," Hagrid chuckled. "She told me years ago she thought the two of you would end up together; I think as long as you invite her to the wedding she will forgive you for your misadventures over the years."

Harry looked up at Hermione and saw a look of pain cross her face before she took a deep breath and lifted her head.

"There's no wedding Hagrid. I'm here to help Harry however I can. That's it."

HARRY'S POV:

Both the dragon and the man inside him wanted to snarl at her statement. As if she had come just so that he could release some tension? As if he would ever use her like that! **As if he would ever allow her to belong to someone else.**

Hagrid blinked a bit but must have caught onto the tension between them because he just smiled good naturedly and nodded. "Oh, of course, so do you still want to go see the dragon?"

Hermione gave Hagrid a grateful smile, "Yes, I would love to. Harry?"

Harry forced his jaw to unclench. He would let Hermione have her way as long as he could. "Do you have a portkey to the dark market?"

The half giant shook his head, "No, let's apparate."

"Wait! I have a thought. Hagrid, may I see the recipe you used for the potion Harry took? Also, what type of cauldron did you use? And did you get all your ingredients from the Dark Market?"

Hagrid looked at her blankly for a moment before jumping into action. He dug through the papers he had stacked haphazardly on the corner of his table as he spoke, "I used a pewter cauldron and most the ingredients came from the Dark Market." He handed Hermione the aged parchment.

She scanned it for a minute before nodding, "Do you think we could go speak to the people that you purchased the leech juice, boomslang skin, Ironbelly blood, the powdered dragon eggshells, and the moly flower from?" She tilted her head, "You go the octopus powder and the mature mandrake from Howarts right?"

"Yes," Hagrid mumbled, "and we can go see him but he probably won't speak with you two there. He only deals with customers he knows."

Hermione frowned, "Well first I just want to see what other kind of ingredients he is selling and if it is all well organized…then I want to see if he'd have any reason to sell you a bad ingredient or if he bought something from someone that he didn't trust and sold it to you. But we can just see what happens once we are there."

"He'll talk," Harry said confidently, "you apparate first Hagrid."

Hermione blinked at the sudden surge of noises and smells around her. She turned to say something to Harry and found him on his knees with his brows drawn together in a grimace and his jaw clenched.

"Are you hurt?" she asked him and reached out to touch his shoulder before she had even thought about it.

He clenched his jaw tighter and drew a wad of cotton out of his pocket. She watched him rip the white fuzz into two balls and then stuff one in each ear. "I'm fine." He took several slow breaths through his mouth, "Just give me a minute to get accustomed to…everything."

Hermione and Hagrid waited worriedly for several moments in silence before she spoke. "Can you still hear me?" she asked with a frown.

HARRY'S POV:

He nodded, "Loud and clear, you don't need to raise your voice." He had just finished mentally walling up his own magical aura, it had been a lot easier than he had thought it'd be. Tuning out all the loud noises, the smells, and the power flares of all the other wizards present was quite a bit more challenging. He could feel the few wizards nearby that were about at Minerva's level of power and one or two that could probably best her…he could also feel the dragon, it's power shining brightest of all in his mind…its anger almost thick enough for him to reach out and touch.

Hermione blushed a bit and turned to look at Hagrid, "I guess we are good to go then."

The half giant nodded and walked them out of the small house they had appeared in and onto the street crowded with people and quickly set up stalls. Some more permanent businesses had buildings behind the stalls.

Hermione watched Harry and noted the pause in his step before he started to breathe more heavily through his mouth instead of his nose. "Harry, should we go back?"

"I'm fine 'Mione," he said and the reached out and tugged her against him as a man shouldered roughly past them. "Stay close to me," he growled , already knowing that this day would be a test to his patience. So many grown males…so many eyes on his beautiful, unclaimed mate…he tucked her against his body and took a deep breath of her calming scent.

She tried to ignore her body's immediate reaction to being close to him and gave him a nod. An ear shattering roar split the air and made her grab her own ears; there was indeed a dragon in the nearby vicinity.

Hagrid led the way through the crowd, pushing as he went so that Hermione and Harry could follow relatively easily and she could focus on studying all the small shops and outdoors stalls where a huge variety of items were being sold.

After a minute or so of walking, Hagrid took them down and alley and into a small door on the side of a building.

Harry wrinkled his nose at all the conflicting smells of the ingredients around him. Hell, even with them all in lidded jars he could smell so many different things that he was beginning to feel nauseous. Trying to breathe solely through his mouth and ignore all the smells, he glanced at Hermione and found her studying on the items on the shelves.

"Did you get all of the ingredients here?" she asked Hagrid softly, trying not to alert the shopkeeper.

Hagrid nodded.

She glanced at the parchment she had just pulled out of some pocket he had been unaware of and frowned at it. "Most of these should be over the counter items. Do you remember where you found them all?" She glanced at the two tall shelves that bisected the main room of the shop and created four aisles leading to the back of the store where the counter and another door were. Each shelf was covered from floor to about Hagrid's eye level, on both sides…it'd take forever if she had to find everything herself. Of course, she could just use her ring…but she wasn't truly yearning for the ingredients so much as curious about them, so it might not work.

Hagrid made a thoughtful noise, "Let me see the list again…" He studied the list and then led her down the second aisle. He reached up and pulled something off the shelf just above her head. "Here's the Molly Flower." He handed it to her and kept moving.

Hermione glanced back at Harry, "Can you try something for me? Dragons have an impeccable sense of smell and I'm thinking you could speed this process up greatly." At his nod she handed him the jar filled with small white flowers on black stems, "Sniff this and tell me if it has a uniform scent or if it's polluted at all."

"I'm not sure what it's supposed to smell like in the first place," he murmured but opened the jar anyway.

She smiled, "Sweet and a little musky…I remember thinking it smelled a bit old, like something out of an old person's house. But I just need you to focus on the uniformity part, if a single one of them smells different than the others than this could be the problem."

Harry couldn't hold back the sneezing fit that hit him as soon as he took a sniff of the open jar. He rubbed at his nose and handed her back the jar, "Uniform old smell, check."

Hermione grinned at him and put the jar back on the shelf just as Hagrid came back and handed her two more.

"Here's the leech juice and the boomslang," he said and moved off again.

Trying to hide her amusement, Hermione handed them both to Harry. She was just lucky that she was so damn cute, he decided as he grudgingly opened up and sniffed each jar individually.

After grimacing and screwing the lid back on the jar he handed her the boomslang skin, "They both smell uniform."

"The eggshells and the blood were both stuff from the back room," Hagrid said as he walked away to return the jars to their proper places.

Harry heard faint footsteps a moment before he saw the curtain to the back room shift just a fraction of an inch. Without bothering with his wand he mumbled _stupefy _under his breath and felt his magic reach out and encompass the being on the other side of the curtain. With Hermione and Hagrid both talking he walked over, slipped behind the counter, and opened the curtain.

A wide-eyed man, balding man with a thin gray beard, stared at him from the position he had been frozen in.

Harry gently picked the man up and carried him a few feet until he could sit the man down next to the counter.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped and ran over. "When did you cast a spell? You're supposed to be limiting your use of magic!"

He shrugged, "The guy was eavesdropping and would've slipped away as soon as he heard what we were looking for. At least now we won't have to go looking for him." He turned to the man, "You sold some items to the half-giant Hagrid recently. Dragon's blood and some dragon eggshells were among them. We need to know where you got them and if you have any more stored in the back." He kept a firm hand on the man's shoulder but released him from the spell.

"I didn't know you could do that Harry," Hagrid said. "Hello Horace, sorry about the spell. I just know how you are about strangers."

Hermione dug around in her little Mary Poppins bag for a moment before pulling out a small vial of clear liquid, "Here, have him drink this."

Harry took the bottle of veritaserum and wondered just what else she had stored in that bag of hers…probably every potion known to the wizarding community and then some. He turned back to Horace, "You're going to drink this without making a fuss, right?"

When the man did nothing but glare at him Harry let his mask of civility slip just a bit and the red of the dragon begin to fill up his eyes. "Right?" he growled out again.

The man stared at him in shock before nodding, "Right!"

Harry gave the man the vial and he downed it before handing Hermione back the empty glass.

"Now," she said. "You sold Hagrid blood from a Ukrainian Ironbelly and eggshells from another dragon, is that correct?"

"Yes…" the man said hesitantly.

She nodded, "Do you know what species the eggshells were from?"

"Horntail, I think," Horace croaked.

Harry grimaced at the mention of his old nemesis.

Hermione sent him a sympathetic look before turning her gaze back to Horace, "Do you have more of either of the ingredients here?"

"There's still some powdered eggshell in the back, on the top shelf of the cabinet…on the left side of the room," he grunted out, fighting the potion.

Harry wordless went to the back, found the cabinet and pulled out an unlabeled jar of gray powder. He carried it back and held it up to the man, "This it?"

"Yes," Horace said with a frown.

With a quick twist, Harry opened the jar and took a deep breath of the heavy powder. The scent made his eyes fall shut with a sense of peacefulness. This eggshell had been in the potion that had changed him so much…it made sense that he would identify the eggs more as his own than as a rival males… Shaking his head free of the thoughts he opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, "It's clean…" To Horace he said, "How'd you get this?"

"Got a friend that works in the Romanian Dragon Reserve…they have to keep the dragon populations there under surveillance so they don't get out of hand. If one breed's population gets too high then he and a group of wizards have to go in and take the eggs out of any nests they find."

It was a good thing that Horace was looking at the floor because he missed the murderous look that Harry was suddenly giving him. The idea of subduing the parents of a clutch of eggs and then stealing them away to be killed and sold was enough to make Harry want to gag…and to kill the man in front of him. Or maybe he'd just kill the man's own offspring…so that he'd know how it felt?

Hermione touched Harry's forearm and he realized that he had started to squeeze the man's shoulder tight enough that Horace was wincing and gritting his teeth to keep from crying out.

"Where did you get the blood?" she asked the man after Harry had loosened his grip enough that Horace had stopped looking like he was in pain.

The shopkeeper sighed, "Wizard and a few of his friends came in here day before Hagrid offering to sell me 10 pints of it. I'd have been a fool to say no…"

"Did you know them?" Hermione asked.

"No, and I didn't ask them their names. They sold me the blood and I gave them the money; simple and clean," Horace said.

She frowned, "Can you think of any reason the blood would be laced with some other ingredient? Did the wizards selling it look reputable?"

The man laughed, "Honey, does anyone out on that street look reputable? Do I look reputable? Hell, does your giant friend look reputable? I've bought pure ingredients from guys that looked worse."

"Very well," she grumbled, "did you feel like they were dark wizards or wizards that generally follow the laws set for us by the Ministry." When the man just raised an eyebrow at her she growled in frustration, "Did they make you uncomfortable?"

He started to make a smart ass remark but paused, "The leader didn't speak to me…just stood by the door while the other two negotiated price. He never even looked directly at me…always kept his face hidden under his hood. I get lots of shady types but most of them realize I'm one of them and drop the attitude."

"Did they have any identifying features that made them stand out to you?"

"All of them wore dark purple robes, looked almost black they were so dark…one of them had red hair and a thick Scottish accent, the other was…plain. Like I said, the leader never spoke or showed his face. Though I think he had a limp." Horace growled, "Look I'm done talking to you lady. All of you get out of my shop."

"He's fighting the potion," Hermione sighed, "it's probably pointless to ask him anymore."

Harry let him go and moved so that he was standing between Hermione and the angry potions master, "Thanks for being so helpful."

"Get bent," the keeper mumbled. "And don't come back here Hagrid."

Hagrid nodded slowly and followed Harry and Hermione out of the store.

HERMIONE'S POV:

Hermione felt a little bad for ruining Hagrid's 'connection' with Horace, the giant had probably actually considered it some type of friendship. "So, assuming that you used all the right proportions and now knowing that all the ingredients besides the blood were pure…we can only assume that the blood was the tainted ingredient. Maybe we can trace it back to the men who sold it to Horace and find out what they did to it to make it have this effect on Harry?"

She glanced worriedly at Harry, who had acted more animal than man while they were in the store. Not that that wasn't partly her fault for asking him to play bloodhound, but the way he had stupefied Horace without first giving the man a chance? The expression he had made when he had smelled the powdered eggshells? How angry he had been when he had found out that people were having to steal eggs? It had all been a little unnerving.

A man hit her hard on the shoulder and she stumbled back harder into Harry with a yelp; she had been thinking too hard and not paying attention to the people sharing the crowded streets with her. Harry's hand was immediately wrapped around her waist to steady her.

The man, who looked like he had gone a month without a bath and smelled about the same, turned to snarl at them. He managed to say "Watch it!" before his eyes met Harry's behind her and she saw him take a quick step back. "Oh. Sorry."

He disappeared back into the mass of people around them and Hermione glanced behind her to make sure her savior was still in control.

He was, but only just. She watched him watch the man until he had been gone from sight for several moments. Only then did he look back down at her with his now red eyes.

"Be careful," he whispered softly.

She nodded softly and moved from within his arms so that she could follow Hagrid.


	7. Chapter 7

Here's chapter 7. Sorry for the false update, I promise I wont take it down this time, at least not before everyone gets to read it. ;P

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HARRY'S POV:

Harry and his dragon both could only take so much before they lost their patience.

They had lost their patience.

He took a deep breath and imagined the wall he had built up around his power crumbling down around him. As he began to feel the magic flowing from him he went a step further and did what amounted to flexing a mental muscle; flaring his power out further and smothering any weak wizards nearby. Was it a little rude? Yeah but so the fuck what? If the half giant couldn't keep these people from being rude then Harry damn sure could.

It was with great pleasure that he watched people starting to look up at him; with each new pair of eyes that met his own there was a shuffling noise as their owner moved to get out of his way. Most of them didn't recognize him or what he was doing with his magic but they knew they should be wary of it…and so they were.

HERMIONE'S POV:

Moments passed before she thought she felt something tickling the back of her mind as if something big was behind her. She glanced back and found only Harry looking menacing. And yet, the feeling was still there, humming faintly against her skin. She turned back to the front and suddenly realized that no more people were bumping into her…no one was even brushing against her in passing. She glanced from side to side and saw that the crowd had begun to part for them and everyone seemed to be giving her and Harry a wide berth. Was she feeling the power Minerva had mentioned? She focused harder and as her brain attempted to rationalize it the humming stopped. Hermione growled and tried to shut her mind off.

Hagrid paused in his jostling to look back at them, "'arry, can you tone it down? You're making it hard to focus."

Hermione turned to him, "What are you doing?"

Harry shrugged, "Taking care of you."

She blinked, "Hagrid," she rushed to catch up to the giant, "what is he doing?"

The giant took a deep breath as if trying to calm himself, "The force that Minerva talked about. Harry has sort of turned up the volume, I guess. Before I only felt a little tickling but now it's like a loud buzzing that presses down on me. The dragon is just around that corner, you two go. I think I'll go over there to sit and talk to a friend."

Hermione turned back to Harry, "Stop! You're hurting Hagrid!"

Harry touched her shoulder and the hum she felt increased until she could almost feel it moving against her skin.

"It wasn't hurting him it just made him uncomfortable and I'd rather have him go sit somewhere than have anyone else get too close." He took a deep breath and moved his hand back. "Besides, I could make it much worse." He hadn't realized it before but he now could feel the truth to his words. He'd opened the damn but not released the entire flood…

She sighed longingly when the brush of power was taken away and then blinked in confusion at him, "I can feel you Harry; that's not good. I shouldn't be able to remember?"

"Calm down 'Mione. Let me do this, or I will completely lose it and hurt someone. All I'm doing is embracing the power instead of trying to keep a lid on it…I'm not even performing any kind of magic."

She noticed the calm determined look he was wearing and gave him a nod. Harry gave her an almost unhappy smile and moved in front of her so that he could lead the way.

They walked the rest of the way to the dragon without anyone ever getting within a few feet of them. Hermione found herself more scared of their reaction than impressed; Harry was more powerful than she had known and he suddenly had too many primal instincts guiding that power.

As they turned the final corner they found the dragon. Chained at each of its four legs, its neck, and its tail was the Norwegian Ridgeback. It could rise up to only half its full height before it jerked its head against the metal collar that it was wearing, like a dog at the end of its leash. Another loud roar vibrated the ground under her feet. Hermione glanced at the five wizards who were surrounding it and providing constant support to the magical barrier keeping the dragon grounded and relatively pliant.

She hadn't seen a dragon since the Triwizard Tournament and she found herself impressed all over again by their size. All sharp angles and wickedly pointed edges; this animal was like a walking tank. Harry kept walking closer, nearer to the edge of its enclosure, and Hermione followed in wonder. The closer they got the more overwhelming the animal was.

Suddenly the animal wasn't thrashing against its bonds but calmly turning to face them.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat when the animal's gaze locked on Harry. She moved next to her friend and found Harry staring at the beast just as intently.

"Move behind me," Harry said softly.

The first tingling of power trickled out from the snarling creature in front of them. She stepped behind Harry just as the dam opened and the beast threw its power at them. Hermione sucked in a breath and struggled to breathe as the atmosphere seemed to get thicker and heavier around her.

Slowly she fell to her knees. It was overwhelming. She reached forward to touch Harry's leg, perhaps to get him to leave, but her senses were flooded all over again as soon as she made contact with his material-clad calf. This power was familiar though and it filled her with a warmth that rubbed hotly across her skin and made her gasp for a completely different reason. She clenched her teeth and ignored her body so that she could focus on what was happening. Like she was somehow sharing Harry's experience, she could still feel the tail end of the dragon's power and rage but quickly the warmth of Harry's power was swallowing it and surging onward towards the dragon.

She felt Harry shove his power harder and realized that somehow, he and the dragon had gotten into some sort of a pissing contest. The males were shoving their power down each other's throat trying to see who would drown first. She was just about to grab Harry's hand, so she could try and pull him away, when suddenly the flood was gone and the returning noise of the loud market from before seemed almost peaceful in comparison.

The dragon scooted closer to them before lowering itself down on the ground and lowering its head towards Harry.

"What…what happened?" Hermione said breathlessly.

Harry looked down at her and she sucked in a breath at the change in him. His features seemed sharper, his eyes fully red, and there was a definite point to his canines.

"Nicolai thinks you are a very beautiful mate, for a human," Harry said in a rough voice.

She blinked, "Who is Nicolai?"

Harry nodded in the direction of the dragon and sighed while wiping a trickle of sweat from his temple, "The dragon."

Hermione stared at him. She had no idea what she was having the most trouble with, the fact that a dragon could speak to Harry, the fact that it thought she was cute for a human, or the fact that it had called her Harry's mate. She watched Harry look back at the dragon and tilt his head as if listening to something she couldn't hear. A frown crossed his features.

"What…what did it say this time?" she mumbled.

Harry grimaced, "Nothing."

The dragon made a deep rumbling noise, exhaling almost jerkily; a more imaginative person might believe the beast to be laughing.

"Tell me," she demanded.

"He thinks…" Harry sighed, "I don't know how to say it. Your…excitement… smells good."

She looked at him in confusion for a moment before feeling her cheeks start to burn, "Tell him I said to keep his nose to himself."

"I already did," he said softly and his eyes met hers. "I'm paying for Nicolai's freedom. We will ride him back to Hogwarts and then he has promised to keep his appetite to himself until he reaches some remote mountains or the nearest dragon reserve."

"Ri…ride him?" she asked horrified. "Don't you remember the last ride we had on a dragon? It was terrifying."

He nodded and held out a hand to help her stand, "This will be different."

Hermione immediately shivered as little aftershocks of power rocked through her at his touch, "Why are you doing that to me?"

Harry frowned for a second, "I'm not doing anything to you."

She nodded, "You have to be. Your magic has never felt like this before…"

"I'm not…" he looked like he was having difficulty putting his thoughts into words, "I'm not intentionally doing anything with my magic right now, much less pushing any at you."

Hermione frowned at him. She was not imagining the way his magic had touched her. Was he honestly unaffected? More importantly, was Harry giving off these 'fuck me' pheromones to everyone his magic touched? She wasn't sure she wanted to know. "How much is it?"

"The dragon?" he asked. "A lot. Wait here until I get back from paying."

She watched him go and then turned to glance at the dragon who was watching her intently.

"Can you understand me?" she asked softly, feeling like an idiot.

A tickling at her mind was her only answer. Almost like what she had felt behind her when Harry had started his 'flexing' but it seemed like more of a curious power than the forbidding one like Harry's had been. The feeling seemed to grow thicker and fuzzier, and almost smothering. The force kept pushing but didn't seem to be able to force its way in.

Harry was suddenly back in front of her and the feeling of his hands on the sides of her face instantly chased the headache away. She took a shaky breath and looked up at, "I think your friend was trying to talk to me."

Harry sent the dragon a glare and she got the feeling that he was chastising the big animal like it was a puppy that had chewed on his shoes.

"It's ok, I sort of asked for it," she said softly. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, let me unlock all these damn chains," Harry said and hoped over the chest high fence that had been around the bound dragon. The wizards that had been keeping the binding spell on the dragon suddenly looked horrified as Harry walked through the force field they had created and it instantly collapsed. Almost as one the group turned and scattered, putting as much distance between themselves and the now-free dragon as possible.

She felt bereft without the warmth of his hands but she took a deep breath and watched all the people around them begin to scatter like the wizards keeping it captive had. Apparently no one wanted to be around a freed dragon.

"I just heard that Harry bought the dragon," Hagrid said from behind her.

She nodded, "Yes, he is setting it free after we get back to Hogwarts."

"Setting it free?" Hagrid stared, "Is he mad?"

"They…talked." She mumbled, "he and the dragon are on good terms…safe terms."

"I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as safe terms with a dragon," Hagrid offered and then blinked in awe as the dragon's body easily plowed through the wooden fence and crushed the thing to the ground, leaving everyone with little doubt that the enchantments binding it were indeed fully gone.

"You sure you know what you're doing Harry?" Hagrid asked as Harry followed the dragon out into the market place where everyone either stood gaping or were scurrying for cover.

Harry glanced around, noted all the open stares, and winced; his initial plan had been to stay as far under the radar as possible. "It's too late to change anything now." He looked at Hermione and caught the speculative look she was giving him.

Hermione blinked and looked away quickly, "How about you ride the dragon back and I go back with Hagrid?" She watched his gaze instantly harden and his jaw clench; his inner dragon apparently did not like that idea. "Or we both go back with him and the dragon leaves on its own?"

"If the dragon leaves here by itself then chances are it's going to be followed and recaptured," Harry said. "Do you _want _to leave with Hagrid?"

She chewed her lip and looked over at the enormous dragon. Did she dare climb on top of the thing? Her discomfort with flying would only be worse when a dragon was the one in control... she looked back and Harry and saw that he was studiously staring at the ground as if he was trying not to push her. She took a deep breath; she had survived riding a dragon once before…surely she could do it again…especially if the dragon respected and obeyed Harry…right?

She sighed, "Let's go on the dragon."

Hagrid looked almost jealous but he gave them a smile, "I'll see you back at Hogwarts."

When she looked back at Harry but he was facing the dragon. She watched in wonder as the beast lowered itself down onto its belly and placed a leg in front of them to climb up on.

"This is ridiculous," she said and then squealed when Harry picked her up by the waist and deposited her on the dragons forearm.

"Climb up 'Mione, it's alright," Harry said and moved up after her.

Once she was seated near the base of the dragon's neck with her legs spread as wide as they would go to accommodate its girth, Harry nimbly climbed up and sat down behind her.

"Please don't let this be the day I die..." she mumbled to herself. The dragon started shifting and then stood. Already she felt like she was sliding off.

Harry's arms wrapped around her waist tightly and pulled her firmly back against his body, "Focus on me and not what is happening. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Is...is it too late to change my mind?" she gasped when the dragon tensed and launched itself into the air. Harry's arms tight around her waist seemed to be the only thing around her that was stable. She pressed back into him and clamped her eyes shut hoping to block out what was happening but that only amplified the feeling of falling.

Every wing beat put them higher in the air and jolted her back against Harry.

"It will get smoother...deep breaths," he kissed her neck.

Hermione nodded but didn't feel too consoled; the ground was rapidly getting farther away. "Harry..." she mumbled, hating how terrified she was.

"Shhh," he cooed into her ear, whispering comforting words and keeping his arms tight around her.

Just as she was about to give in to the urge to scream the dragon leveled out and all the jolting stopped. Its wings spread wide and she was amazed at how easily such a heavy body glided through the air. She clutched at Harry's arms and looked at the ground; everything was so far away. The little tents of the market were a good distance behind them and looked like little more than marshmallows.

"Look," Harry said into her ear and she shivered in response.

Her eyes moved forward and she say the landscape suddenly turn green. The mountains that seemed tiny from the market were looming on their right. The trees looked like a dark green moss spread thickly across everything below them. It was actually kind of...pretty.

Time had swept past them like the air through her hair and she was surprised to see the sky becoming orange with the setting sun. Clouds that had been a puffy white earlier that day had become a bright yellow gold against their new backdrop.

"This is beautiful Harry," she said, she had relaxed a lot since their take off but had kept her tight hold on his arms. He hadn't seemed to mind.

"Yeah," he said softly and she glanced back over her shoulder at him.

He seemed almost sleepy he was so content. His hair was ruffling wildly in the

wind and his body was tense behind her but she wasn't sure she had ever seen him so relaxed.

He nodded at the land in front of them, "There's Hogwarts."

She turned back and smiled at the tiny black spread in the distance. "Are we flying over the forbidden forest right now?"

"I think so," he said.

She grinned, "I like it much better this way."

He returned her grin, "Me too."

When she looked again Hogwarts was much closer; she could even make out some of the different buildings. The ground was coming back up at them now and she subconsciously dug her nails into Harry's arms. His hold loosened on her and she

immediately clutched tighter.

"Hermione, let go, I want to turn you around," he said and gently pried her fingers loose from their death grip.

"Harry, I..." she felt the first surge of fear since they had taken off.

He shushed her again, "Lift your right leg over and put it next to your left leg."

When she didn't move he chuckled, "I'm not going to let you go. Now do it."

Her leg moved slowly and jerkily across the dragon's neck.

"Now," he hooked his hand under her left leg and pulled, "bring this leg up between us and move it to the other side."

"Harry!" she growled, pissed and terrified that distance between their bodies was growing and she had lost almost all her balance. She wobbled but he kept her upright until she managed to get leg out from between them and rest it on his other leg.

He nodded and grabbed both of her thighs before pulling her flush against him again.

"We are about to land," he offered, and gently moved her head into the crook of his neck. "Hang on to me so I can hang on to the dragon, and don't forget to breathe."

She mumbled something about him being an ass but then gave her attention

completely to the smell of his skin and the warmth of his body against her. The dragon started circling Hogwarts; spiraling downwards in an attempt to slow its speed without making any jerky movements. She made the unwise decision to move her face away from Harry long enough to look down and instantly regretted it. She sucked in a breath and clutched tighter to him, her arms and legs both wrapped around him and her face completely burrowed into the hollow below his head.

She felt the world tilting back and forth, the wind whipping her hair into knots, and then the drop in her stomach as the beast finally straightened out and went in for the landing. The last jerk was the worst; just before it hit the ground the dragon fanned out its wings and caught the air with them, nearly throwing her forward off Harry's lap. She whimpered and clutched to him tighter but noticed that his arms were as solid as stone around her; she wouldn't have fallen even if she had completely let go of him.

"We are on the ground 'Mione," he said and gently smoothed his hands down her back in an attempt to soothe her.

The air had stilled around her but her body was still feeling the ghosts of earlier movements.

He petted her back, "I'm sorry, I should have let you go with Hagrid."

She took a deep breath and pulled back from him so that she could look up into

his eyes. "No...the middle part was almost fun."

A tiny smile picked up in the corner of his mouth; she was so cute, and brave, and perfect. Even with her hair in bushy tangled mess. "We should have put your hair up before we left."

She blinked and then released him so that she could reach up and touch it.

Her eyes widened in horror and her cheeks flushed pink. She mumbled a quick spell under her breath only to suck in a breath as Harry's power seemed to rush over her.

Instantly her hair was silky and flat, straighter than it had ever been in her life, and a bit more than she would have chosen to do with her own magic.

"Did you do that on purpose?" she asked him as she ran her hands through her hair again and again in shock.

"No, but I did think something about wanting it to be straight so that you wouldn't feel so embarrassed," he gave her a crooked smile.

She nodded and became lost in her thoughts about dragons and the things she had read about them.

He moved underneath her, lifting her off his lap so that he could move his leg to the other side of the dragon and hop down with her in his arms.

Hermione clung to him.

"If you want me to carry you it would be better if you were on my back," he said and loosened his hold on her legs, making her slide down his body to the ground.

She couldn't say that didn't like the idea of being carried further by him but nonetheless she shook her head and stepped away from him. She looked up from straightening her clothes and saw Harry and the beast again locking gazes.

"Thank you for trying to be gentle with the landing," she said to the dragon, believing on some level he would get the message. The beast surprised her by dipping its head towards her in acknowledgement.

"You're welcome," Harry said back automatically.

She was equally surprised by his voicing of the dragon's thoughts. She wasn't sure she would ever be comfortable with the idea of him being able to converse in a whole other language that no human had ever had the opportunity to learn. Instead of stirring up her appetite for knowledge it only made her more aware of the changes that had occurred within him.

Before she knew it they had waved goodbye and she was all alone with Harry again. She turned and found him watching her with those predatory eyes of his. She cleared her throat, "Well, what now?"

He paused for only a moment, "What day is today?"

"It's Friday…the third. Why?"

Hermione was shocked to see the how many students were gathered in the Great Hall without the knowledge of any of Hogwarts staff. It had to be nearly the entire student body…

"You came! I'm so glad! I'll be the one doing the reading tonight," Clare spoke to Harry as he and Hermione joined the students in the Great Hall.

Hermione's face instantly scrunched up into a frown, "Just what are you guys doing? It is most definitely against the rules for students to be out of their dormitories this late!" She was quieted by Harry's hand landing on her hip and gently squeezing.

"I decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about. No worries, we can keep a secret," he smiled softly at the young girl in front of them.

"That we all already know," Clare grinned, her eyes met Hermione's for just a moment too long before she left them and headed for the podium.

Hermione felt like the girl was keeping a secret already. Her eyes had twinkled just enough to unnerve the more experienced witch.

They both watched as everyone found their seats themselves included, with honored seats at the teachers table, and wards were put on the doors to keep any noise from escaping. Clare then cast a charm on herself and asked in an echoing voice if everyone could hear her. Nods came from all points in the room and the girl began.

"I thought that tonight I'd read about the year that Harry and his friends _weren't_ at Hogwarts. The hardest year for all us in the wizarding world. This was the year that Harry and his friends left in search of Voldemort's Horcruxes," Clare said as everyone finally became settled and every eye had turned to her.

Hermione was amazed that the girl was brazen enough to say the dark lord's name and equally surprised at the mention of the Horcruxes, something she had believed to be a heavily guarded secret, but nothing surprised her more than what happened next. Clare knelt down and from a satchel near her feet pulled out a worn leather volume; it was one Hermione couldn't help but recognize. She could do nothing but gape as the girl opened it up, flipped past the first three quarters of the book filled with Hermione's handwriting and began reading aloud.

"What is that?" Harry asked as Clare's voice began describing the horror's that had befallen Bill and Fleur's wedding in first person point of view.

Hermione's breath hitched, how could this have happened? "It's my old diary that I kept while were we in school…I thought it was lost in the final battle…"

The students all gasped as her diary told of the spells that had whizzed through the air past their ears, laughed when it told of Ron's reaction to her version of Mary Poppin's bottomless bag, and sat in solemn silence when it recounted the early days of carrying about the locket Horcrux. Clare had been reading for over an hour and Hermione had settled into the feeling of déjà vu when she realized what was about to happen.

"_Something happened last night_," Clare said and shot Hermione a quick smile before continuing. "_Something that has never happened before. I was still aching from Ron's absence and Harry was still struggling under the weight of the world that he never allowed himself to put down…and it happened. One moment we were both sitting in an unhappy silence, listening to the radio's slow tune, and the next thing I knew he was standing and walking towards me. He held out his hand and I knew he was asking me to dance. I rarely denied him anything and didn't act any differently now. We started to sway and he pulled my body tightly against his. My heart pounded and my stomach clenched. I had known for a long time that I was attracted to him but my own insecurity had kept me from ever allowing myself to believe that anything could come of it. I was just an ordinary mudblood and much more suited for a life with Ronald. Nothing is wrong with Ronald, though he can be quite witless sometimes I still find him to be charming occasionally…Harry was just another thing entirely. Honestly, he is the innocent heroic boy of every girl's dreams, but we can't all have him. And his strong and beautifully loyal heart belongs to Ginny. _

_ How could I have been so stupid? I actually felt disappointed when our eyes met and he chose _not_ to lean in for a kiss. These self-destructive desires are absolutely out of the norm for me. As is the petty urge to make a snide remark about Ginny not deserving him. I'm just going to have to keep my emotional distance from him. Harry will always be my best friend but I have to give up on the idea of him ever being more than that…"_

Clare kept reading but Hermione couldn't stand anymore. The little brat had known exactly what she was going to read the moment she had seen Hermione walk through the doorway into the Hall. All she could do now was pray that Harry didn't comment on what he had heard.

As casually and quietly as possible, Hermione stood up from her seat and made her way to the door. When she glanced over her shoulder she was dismayed to see Harry getting up to follow, and hurried out the large doors a bit faster. He would be fine without her for the night; hopefully she could find an empty room in the girl's dormitory.

"'Mione," Harry called out softly as he shut the door behind him.

Hermione held her breath in an attempt to hold back all the emotions that were trying to overwhelm her.

"'Mione wait," he grabbed her arm to stop her fleeing any further.

How had he caught up with her so fast? "Just leave it Harry, it was a long time ago."

Harry turned her around and Hermione was irritated that she was being forced to look at him. "What?!" she growled at him.

Her pricklishness didn't seem to faze him, "I wanted to kiss you."

"Excuse me?"


End file.
